What Now?
by SARXII
Summary: Sesshomaru and Kagome have been meeting in secret for over a month. What happens when their wanting becomes too much for them to handle? No longer a two-shot!
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Alright! Here it is! My very first fanfiction with Kagome and Sesshomaru being the main characters!audience cheer and applause And it can be yours for only 3 payments of $69.99!  
Ahhh you know I'm just joking. But, really, this is my first Kagome/Sesshomaru main story, and I've been working on it for over a month now. It's a two shot, so this is only part one. Part two is written up, but I think I'm gonna wait a day or two to put it up. Build the suspense, you know? What else? Ummm... oh! Part two has a lemon in it, just for fair warning. Annnnd... update! Another chapter of The Monk and the Miko is almost finished, so keep your eyes peeled for that as well. Yes! Check out my friend Lynn! We go to school together, and she's one of my bestie friends ever. I do InuYasha, she does Naruto, we gotta find one of our other friends to cover Fullmetal Alchemist and we'll be set! Her penname is pianapple. She's got a story she's working on right now, so don't worry, you'll have things to enjoy soon.  
So please read, and love, and review!  
ON WITH THE SHOW!

What Now?

Part 1

kagomes-wanna-be

He raced through the woods, having left his companions behind in the safety of the castle. He lifted his nose to the wind, sniffing as the scenery flashed by him. He couldn't help the faintest of smiles grace his lips, a predatory gleam in his eye. He was so close, and the smell was so strong. He went faster.

Finally, he was there. The steam rising and swirling around him weakened his senses, but he knew this was the place. He quickly disrobed and silently entered the waters, not knowing where he was going exactly, just knowing he'd reach what he wanted eventually.  
-------------

She drew in a breath, butterflies filling her stomach as she felt familiar arms wrap around her waist, a nose buried in the crook of her neck, lips teasing her skin and the body of the man she had met secretly for over a month pressed against her back.

"Sesshomaru..." The name played on her tongue, caressing it. It was a name she didn't dare utter except for in such private times as these.

"Kagome..." He replied to her his own secret word. A name he rarely used, but always thought.

She smiled, biting her lip as his hands caressed her naked stomach, but she did not blush. Their naked state was something familiar to them both by now. In fact, it had been the start of their relationship.

**Flashback**

Kagome walked through the woods trudgingly. It wasn't that anything was wrong it just... wasn't right either. She wasn't catching any breaks anywhere. They hadn't gotten a new jewel shard in almost a month, it seemed that the demons they were fighting had all been faught and defeated before, school was getting even harder to keep up with, and she had a nasty cut on her upper arm that was taking forever to heal and which she was positive would leave a scar. How was she going to explain that one to everyone at home?

And now, of course, she was going to have to go bathe in a cold, nearby lake because their weren't any hotsprings around for miles. Maybe they should've pressed forward for another hour or so, as InuYasha had wanted.

She shook her head to get rid of her troubling thoughts, as the lake finally came into view. It was more like a pond, actually. It was small, and secluded, with rocks jetting through the water's surface. The water was much cleaner than a pond's, though. One of the greatest things about this era- clean water.

She looked around once to make sure that no one was within sight before quickly discarding her clothing, folding it, and set it down along with her backpack on a rock near the shore. She took a deep breath, holding it as she entered the fridged water. She squeaked, lifting her arms up to keep anything above her hips from getting wet. Taking a deep breath and gaining her courage, she finally managed to dive under the water to soak her whole body. She finally surfaced, gasping and shivering, her teeth chattering together as she held herself tightly.

She cursed under her breath, deciding to finish as quickly as possible, afraid she might catch pneumonia or hypothermia. The only problem- when she turned around, her clothes were gone.  
-------------

Sesshomaru had woken up to the sound of rustling clothes. He growled at himself, wondering how he could have been so absent-minded to have let himself nod off while bathing. The water had just been so refreshing and relaxing, and he hadn't slept in a long time. Even demons had their limits. But, either way, he had slipped up, and now someone was so close he could almost taste them.

He moved quickly, standing and peering around the rocks that seperated his part of the lake from the intruders. However, he stopped as he saw just who had intruded into his area. How could he have missed that scent? In front of him, about to enter the water, was the naked body of the girl who traveled with InuYasha, the girl who was the reason he lost his left arm, the girl who had foiled his second attempt to get the Tetsuseiga- and god did she smell good.

He disappeared back behind the rock before she could spot him, growling deep in his throat as he wondered what he was going to do. He didn't want to hurt her, this tantalizing woman, by any means, but he didn't want to simple leave her be either. She had intruded on his space, whether she knew it or not. Then, it hit him. He knew exactly what he would do.

Waiting for the perfect moment, ignoring his nudity, he placed himself on a rock and got ready to pounce. She got into the water slowly, almost painfully. He could see the displeasure about the cold water on her face, and almost chuckled. Humans were so sensitive.

Finally, the moment came. She dunked her head under the water, and before she could resurface, he raced to the spot where her clothes were and disappeared with them back behind the rocks. He perched himself ontop of a rock completely out of the water, set the clothes next to himself, and waited.  
-------------

Kagome stood there, looking at the rock, completely perplexed. Where had her clothes gone? She was put back in motion as a breeze hit her wet skin, making her shiver and dip back into the water until it was up to her chin. The water was cold, but it was still better than the freezing wind.

After her body recooperated a bit, she started to turn back and forth looking for her clothes. She had other clothes in her backpack, sure, but that was one of her school uniforms, and now that she was in highschool, the uniforms were far more expensive to replace.

She didn't understand where they could have gone. She made her way to the rock and looked around, thinking it might have fallen into the water, but it wasn't anywhere near it. Maybe she had gotten turned around, maybe she hadn't put her clothes on that rock at all. But, if that was the case, why was her bag still there?

She muttered incoherently as she stood in the water, cursing herself. Now, she wasn't just cold, she was sleepy. She forced her eyes wider open and continued her way through the water, looking everywhere she could think of.

Then, she saw the end of the rocks, realizing that there were other areas her clothes could have been swept away to. It was a bit farfetched, but, figuring she might as well look, she walked around them to search the rocks. She stopped dead in her tracks, however, when she came face to face with a certain demon lord.  
-------------

They just stayed there in silence, staring at each other. Kagome was at a complete loss of words. Here, in front of her, was the lord of the western lands himself.

And he was completely naked.

Her eyes travelled over his face, noting his demon markings to make sure it was really him, and it was. She couldn't stop her eyes as they ran down over his neck and to his shoulder. She made a mental note that he had both of his arms again, passing it off as part of his demon powers. She also noticed the marks on his wrists, matching the ones on his cheeks.

She traveled lower, her eyes running over his chest and on to his abs. She was amazed by his body, especially the fact that his muscles were so defined even when he was relaxed. His skin was smooth and blemish free, despite the fact that he had certainly been wounded in battle before. Her eyes travelled even lowever, unable to control herself as her eyes made contact with the junction between his legs.

A deep growl emmitted from within his chest, making her jump and tear her eyes back to his own. Her heart raced as she realized that she was still in immediate danger.

"Forgive me Lord Sesshomaru," she said, attempting to redeem herself as she looked away from him.

The area was in a tense silence for a moment. Kagome was afraid of the fact that she couldn't see what he was doing, but she was too scared for her life to look.

"Sesshomaru will do."

Kagome's head spun to face him, surprised by his words. She stuttered for a moment, her mouth opening and closing before being able to get a hold of her tongue. "Alright... Sesshomaru." She spoke his name slowly, the sound strange to her own tongue... though not that unwelcomed.

They fell back into silence again, Kagome swallowing every so often and holdering her jaw tight to keep her teeth from chattering together. It didn't work.

Sesshomaru's eyes were as cold and unwelcoming as ever. "I should go. I-I'm sorry for intruding," she said, giving a small bow before turning to leave.

"You may stay," Sesshomaru said, his voice startling her again.

She turned to face him, confused. His eyes were the same, and his demeanor as rigid, and yet... there had been something in his voice. "No... really," she started, swallowing again, "I need to finish bathing before I head back, and, uh..." she trailed off, a shiver running down her spine. Her eyes were so droopy. "And it's really cold. I- hey... are those my clothes?!"

Sesshomaru rose an eyebrow, wondering if something was wrong with the girl of if she always acted like this. He simple nodded his head, watching her intently.

"Well... give them back," she said weakly, not feeling up to putting up a fight.

"No."

"But," she was cut off by a cough, clearing her throat. "Why not? What do you want?"

He stared at her, thinking before a smirk played at the corner of his lips. "It seems as though you have been witness to this Sesshomaru's body... perhaps you should expose your own."

Much to his delight, her eyes bluged and cheeks reddened, accompanied by a fit of coughs. She didn't know that he had already seen her body, and he wasn't planning on telling her.

"I-I don't... uh..." she stuttered, swallowing as her hands unconsciously reached up and crossed her arms over her breasts, even if they were under the water. Sesshomaru almost growled. Was she really expecting such a low action as for him to... do something. "Can I just have my clothes back?"

"No," he stated again, enjoying playing with her.

"But..." she trailed off, a frown on her lips, feeling defeated. "Ugh. Fine. Keep 'em. I don't care," she told him, coughing again as she turned and started to leave the section of the lake, mumbling under her breath, though everything was heard by Sesshomaru anyway.

He growled as she turned, though she didn't hear it. The girl truely was clueless. She hadn't caught on to the fact that he was joking, and now she was mad.

'This is why you never joke,' he thought, letting out a disgruntled breath as he walked onto the shore and dressed.  
-------------**(SEPARATION! Wahcha!-just for Becca and Lynn-)**

Kagome made her way through the water as fast as possible, wanting to get out of there and forget about everything that had happened. Though, She was almost positive that the view of Sesshomaru on those rocks would be burned into her memory forever. She was still debating whether that would be a good or bad thing.

She grabbed her towel and climbed out of the water, taking a step before stopping. Her eyes crossed, vision blurred, and head became fuzzy, diziness taking her over.

She tipped forward, but where she expected there to be ground, there was something else. Two arms wrapped around her waist, supporting her body. When she looked up, she saw the dry, warm, clothed form of Sesshomaru towering over her.

"What's wrong with you, human?" he asked, confused. He hadn't smelt any blood on her, so he assumed that she wasn't dangerously hurt. But then, he saw the cut on her arm. How could he not have noticed it before?

"Nothing," she said, coughing and shaking her head. "I'm gonna be fine."

She put her hands on his chest plate and pushed back, squeaking as she started to fall in the opposite direction.

He stepped forward and grabbed her again before she could hit the ground. He stood bent over her, her legs bent and his hair surrounding them both.

She groaned, her face flushed and body shakey, barely able to open her eyes. She reached up, grabbing desperately at whatever she could find, which so happened to be his sleeves.

"My name..."

He looked down at her again, not sure what she was rambling about, but made a small noise to let her know she had his attention either way.

"My name..." she started again, coughing. "Earlier... you said to call you Sesshomaru... I have a name you can call me too." Her voice was weak, and he knew she was barely hanging on to consciousness.

He stared down at her face, which had pain plastered on it. He clenched his jaw tightly, swallowing. He didn't know how she suddenly had such a grasp on him.

"I know... Kagome."

Her eyes opened as he spoke, the statement shocking her. His voice was so soft that she had almost missed it. Her name sounded so... foreign coming from him, but she still liked it. She stared deep into his eyes, the eyes that reminded her so much of InuYasha's, and were still so different. They were brighter, clearer... and there was something in them. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Whatever it was, it was the last thing she saw before her body went limp and her vision went black.  
-------------

Sesshomaru stared at the unconscious girl in his arms. What the hell had just come over him? Sure, he had known the girl's name by hearing it in battle, but he had never used it. He had never even thought about it, he simply never had a reason to. But now...

He shook his head. He had more important things to do. Lowering his head to her cloth cover chest, he noticed that her heartbeat was slower than a normal human's, even one that was sleeping. Something had to be wrong, and it had to be that cut.

The towel started to slip from her body, and he quickly grabbed it to keep it in place. He didn't need to invade her privacy any more than necessary.

He lifted her into his arms fully, carrying her to a flat rock and laying her ontop. What was he going to do? He was stuck with a half-dead, half-naked young female miko who was strongly connected to his younger half-demon, half-brother. He positioned the towel so it covered her better, though it still didn't work to well. It showed even more of her legs then that damned thing she normally wore(which he would never admit he was happy for), and barely reached the top of her chest.

Her body started to tremble as she lay there, coughing even in her unconscious state. She started to convulse, her face contorted in pain. He stared down at her and growled. What was he going to do? He was getting frustrated by the question. She was only getting sicker by the moment, and the smell of death was starting to taint her intoxicating scent. It made his stomach churn.

He kneeled down next to her, dipping his sleeve into the cold water and ran it over her forehead, as he had seen humans do with their ill. But whatever it was supposed to do, it didn't. Her trembling got even worse and the stench strong, and he knew what was eventually to come.

He wanted to avoid that by any means possible. Sure, he could revive her with his Tenseiga, but then he wouldn't be able to ever again. Not that he planned on interacting with her again. He just... didn't want to use Tenseiga any more than necessary.

But then something unexpected happened- Tenseiga pulsed at his side. He looked down at it confused. What was it reacting to? The girl wasn't even dead yet.

Her chest heaved as she wimpered, her head rolling from side to side. She was getting closer and closer, but it would still be a while before she would depart. He didn't want to have to witness her stuck in this state for any longer than necessary. He suddenly felt responsible for the poor girl.

It was that damned sword, and he knew it. It did the same with Rin, and now it wanted to save this girl. But there wasn't anything to save yet.

The sword pulsed again, stronger, trying to get his attention. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled the blade out, not expecting anything special. Thought, it wasn't what he got.

He started as he held the plade in front of himself. Instead of it's usual blue, it glowed a bright while, illuminating everything around it. Everything glowed a soft light- except Kagome. She was dull compared to the world Tenseiga had created, and it didn't suit her.

Tenseiga pulsed in his hands as he stood, holding the blade confused. What was he supposed to do now? Looking down at Kagome, he realized that she was getting dimmer and dimmer by the moment, as though the light was being sucked right out of her. He realized that soon, her light may be gone completely, and she would no longer be allowed in this withe world. He wouldn't let that happen.

Following instinct, he raised the sword abover his head and slashed downward, cutting along Kagome's body, but leaving no mark. Instantly, her body reacted.

Light erupted from her whole being as her back arched, pushing herself from the rock. Her mouth and eyes opened, gasping for air as life returned fully. The would disappeared from her arm, her skin returning to it's usual, healthy color. Her body finally relazed, lowever back down to the rock and settled as the world returned to normal.

Sesshomaru stared at the Tenseiga blankly. What new technique was this? could his sword not only revive the dead, but heal the wounded and sick as well? Wha had been the reason of this new technique suddenly showing itself? Had it been the girl?

All questions were swept away as he heard her stir, however, and sheathed Tenseiga, forgetting the sword completely as he kneeled down. All his focus was on her. She groaned again slightly, her head rolling from side to side and cheeks flushing. He felt something twinge inside him, afraid his sword had failed, afraid she was still sick.

But then she settled down again, letting his insides settle as well. He sat back, crossing his legs as he started out at nothing. He didn't understand this girl. In less than an hour, she had managed to awaken something in both his sword and in himself. But, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that she had and effect on everything she came in contact with. She was a catalyst, and the world was hers to mold.

He looked down at her again, and she was still, looking as though she was sleeping peacefully. He could do nothing but stare at her for a long time, his mind racing and face blank. Finally, he brought himself back when the light shifted around him, night falling across the great islands, knowing he needed to return soon. He couldn't just leave the girl in her nearly naked state for demons and who-knows-what-else to find.

He walked over to her bag, picking it up along with the clothes he had brought and set to work.  
-------------

Kagome began to wake up groaning as she lifted a hand to her head. She prayed the pounding would stop soon, but she knew it wouldn't. Slowly her eyes opened, waiting for them to focus again before sitting up. Then she realized how dark it was.

"Crap," she cursed, jumping up, though instantly regretting it. Sitting back down, she waited for her eyes to uncross before attempting to stand up again, cautiously this time.

She took a deep breath to calm her body, feeling her hands tremble from something inside of her. Something trying to settle comfortably, making her stomach churn until then. She looked around, seeing her backpack on the ground next to her, with her towel folded neatly next to it.

Seeing the towel, she looked down and realized that she was back in clothes, shoes and everything. She gasped as her arms wrapped around herself, looking around nervously. Sesshomaru had been the only one around. He had to be the one to dress her. That meant that he had seen her completely naked. She picked up her bag and ran.

She didn't care how much her head pounded, or how bad her stomach felt, she need to get back to the others. She kept trying to think what happened earlier that day, but the last thing she remember was climbing out of the water. What had he done to her?

She ran and ran, praying that she was running in the correct direction, but was stopped as two hands gripped her shoulders, jerking her back against hard armor. She gasped, closing her eyes as her bag dropped from her hands, preparing for the worst.

"Tell no one, and no one will know," Sesshomaru's voice sounded vaguely as he softly placed something in her hands.

She opened her eyes, peering down at the school uniform resting in her hands. She gasped softly, wanting to tell him something. But when she turned around, he was gone.

**End Flashback**

Kagome chuckled to herself as she remembered how afraid she had been of the man who now held her in his arms. It was interesting how fear turned so easily to comfort, and how a mild hate had turned into such a strong love. And yes, she meant love.

She loved him, and he knew it. She had told him the first time they had "been together." He hadn't said it back to her, but they both knew he did. She said it in words, he said it in actions. She knew well enough by then to tell. She knew him so well, she felt as thought she had known him forever.

They had been speaking for almost a month and a half, and were together whenever it was safe. He had originally tried to stay away from her, but the farthest he had managed was watching her from the trees as she slept- or attempted to sleep. She would toss and turn, and all he wanted to do was help her settle down, but he could. Sure, he could maske his scent(which is what he had done after that first night together), but he couldn't risk being seen by the others. He didn't want to deal with those pests.

It was only so long before he had approached her again, however. On the fourth night, he snuck up on her after she seperated herself from the group. She was walking through the woods when he showed up before her, the sudden appearance making the hairs on her neck stand up.

She was fearful at first, but eased as she realized it was him, having regained all her memories from their first encounter. She still hadn't been able to shake her head of the look in his eyes...

And that had been the real start of their relatioship. They barely spoke at first, but after a few weeks they were having complete conversations. They spoke about anything and everything, each wanting to know the other fully. They spoke every night, always giving excuses to get away from their group.s

They one night that he had missed their meeting, she awake the next day to a white lily on her pillow, which she had informed him two nights before was her favorite flower. She wore it in her hair the entire day as well as that night when she went to meet him.

That night, they kissed for the first time. Or, rather, Kagome had kissed him for the first time. They had been saying their goodbye's for the night when Sesshomaru had told her how beautiful she was with the flower in her hair, gently caressing its petals. She had thanked him bashfully, surprising them both as she leaned up and gently pressed her lips against his. She had turned and started to walk away before he had the ability to respond.

That instant had woken up his innder demon, setting it on fire. This was the woman he wanted, the woman he needed. From that day forward, he focused all his attention on making her his. And she would be his.

**AN:** And there it is! YES! Part one of my Kagome/Sesshomaru fanfiction! I'm so excited. Another notice that I didn't want to put earlier: this two-shot will be made into a full length fanfiction if you really want me to. So review and tell me to do so. I really hoped you liked it, and I really hope you'll check back for part two. Also that you'll go and read some of my other stories and fall madly in love with me!(I am currently excepting proposals) So... go and be merry my lovelies.

kagomes-wanna-be

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Part Two! Yay Part Two! Alright, you love me, and I love you, so I couldn't resist waiting any longer to put this up for you! So, my pretties, I give you Part Two of What Now? Starring Sesshomaru and Kagome!(Writtenproduceddirectedcastedandcreated by ME) Now, go, read!  
Oh! And remember to review and ask me to make it full-length!:)

**Warning: **This chapter contains lemon. Read at your own risk.

What Now?

Part 2

by kagomes-wanna-be

The following night, he didn't even speak. She was in the clearing, waiting for him, and in less then a second of his appearance, his lips were upon hers. Kagome had been surprised, but not unwelcoming, both of their lips having been tingling all day.

He pulled her body against his tightly, thought making sure not to crush her against his armor. They stood their for a long time, Kagome's arms holding him just as tightly around the neck, kissing deeper and deeper. Sesshomary growled the first time she pulled away to breath, cursing her weaker, human body. Though, he had realized over their time together that her human state was one of her greatest attributes.

Demons thought, but humans felt. Demons needed, humans wanted. Demonds demanded, humans asked. It made them weaker(not that Kagome was weak by any means), but it also made them kinder. Demons were a cruel kind, but all they needed was exposure to a human who was willing to help, and it could stop.

Sesshomaru had been lucky enough to find Kagome, but he wasn't sure if it was her effect on him or her effect on everything around her that helped him. She was beautiful, kind, smart, and strong. She could do anything she wanted, and he was glad she had wanted to melt his heart.

The next couple of days had been focused more on getting to know each other in a physical way. Experimental touches, deeper kisses, teasing skin.

It was new for both of them, Kagome being only 17 and Sesshomaru only 19 in demon years. Kagome found it hard to believe that Sesshomaru had never been with another female, but as he explained to her the ways of dog-demon mating more and more, she came to a better understanding as to why he was as inexperienced as she. As well as why it didn't seem as though he was so inexperienced. He had a natural instinct, and she didn't. It scared her a little.

She knew what was to come, and she figured it was going to happen soon, but she was afraid she wouldn't know what to do. She had taken her required health classes in school, but they tended to focus more on the human side of sex and not so much on the demon side.

Kagome knew she was ready, she just wasn't sure if she was ready for what he was expecting. She also knew that demons tended to work fast, but it all depended on how the female responded- if she submitted or not. Kagome didn't know if she was submitting in the way she was supposed to, but she knew she wasn't rejecting him. She only hoped that Sesshomaru would understand her actions and not take it the wrong way.

Apparently, he had. Only four days after their first kiss, Sesshomaru came to her with a question. When he asked her if she would be his mate, in body and soul, in this life and the next, she accepted whole heartedly. They kissed for a long time before Sesshomaru started to lay her down.

She stopped him, telling him they couldn't yet. It infuriated his demon, but he managed to get it under control long enough to hear her out. She told him that she didn't have the ttime before having to return, and they couldn't risk getting caught.

They agreed to meet the next night, and they did. Kagome even went back to her time for a moment, running down to the corner store to buy protection for them to use, again hoping Sesshomaru would understand.

They met that night, and after getting Sesshomaru to accept the condom, they mated for the first time. Sesshomaru took her as a human would, and she was grateful. She could see how frustrating it was for him. His demon raged for control, red leaking into his eyes, but he never gave in.

They didn't really mate, though. They decided not to. If they had become true life mates, it would have been too hard to hide.

She was sad when she had to leave, they both were. They wanted to just stay together for the next week, just being near each other as much as possible. After washing and dressing they kissed for a long time before she left, ignoring the pain in her thighs and the ache in her heart.

And now they were hear, 3 days later, holding each other in the steam of a hotspring, feeling each other for the first time since they had mated.

"I've missed you," Sesshomaru whispered against her skin, dragging his claws over her stomach, making her shiver.

"I've missed you too," she whispered back, smiling happily, resting her hands ontop of his own. "I've hated these last couple of days. All I want to do is be with you. I can't think of anything else."

"Me either," he said, still taking deep breaths from the crook of neck. "So perhaps we shouldn't waste any time," he purred, nipping her neck as his had slid downwards.

She giggled, pulling away from his arms and turning to face him. "Well, you sure are working fast tonight," she said somewhat flatly.

"I can't help it," he told her, pulling her back to him and kissing her neck. "You just smell so amazing tonight."

"Oh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and pulling back, asking playfully, "'Cause I smell so awful all other nights, right?"

He growled at her, squinting his eyes. She was being difficult and she was doing it on purpose. "That isn't what I mean," he growled, pulling her back to him. "I simply mean that it is stronger tonight."

Her brow furrowed in confusion, looking up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he whispered frustratedly, "That the scent from your heat is intoxicating me."

It was true. Her scent was so strong and welcoming that he could barely stop his demon rom having her right there. He had been around her in her heat once before, but at the time they were barely speaking, so it was far easier for him to control himself.

"My heat?" she asked, even more confused.

"Are you saying... you don't know about your heat?" Sesshomaru stared at her incredulously. How could she not know about her own heat?

"No, I've never heard that word used for humans," she said before something clicked. "Oh! But I have heard it used for dogs. Is it the same thing?"

Sesshomaru wasn't sure what she meant, but he explained it to her none-the-less. "During a female's heat, they give off a smell that lets males know that they are ready to mate. It is the time they are most likely to get pregnant."

"Oh..." Kagome said, spacing off as her eyes focused on the water's surface.

Sesshomaru growled, becoming annoyed by the pointless chit-chat. He wanted her and he wanted her now. Both instinct and nature were driving him.

He leaned forward, pressing his lips to her neck tightly, kissing and nibbling it, running his hands over her skin. She was so smooth and soft. He just wanted to touch her forever, always at her side, always like this.

"Sesshomaru?"

He growled again, fisting his hand. She really didn't know how frustrating this was for him. He took a deep breath, standing as straight as he could manage, peering at her downturned face. "Yes Kagome?"

"Do you, um..." she trailed off, clearing her throat. "Do you think that someday we could... you know... be mated... not in private?"

Sesshomaru's eyebrow shot up, looking at the girl rather surprised. "As in... in front of people?"

"What?" Kagome cried out, looking up at him with wide eyes and rosey cheeks. "Oh, no no no, you took that wrong," she told him, shaking her head furiously. "I meant- do you think that someday we'll be able to mate? And... not have it be a secret."

He looked at her, sighing lightly before smiling. "Kagome," he said, reaching up and caressing her cheek. "You are my mate, you are my world. There is no doubt that we will sanctify this union someday. Someday soon," he stopped for a moment to kiss her, looking into her eyes. "I love you."

Kagome felt her heart skip a beat, taking a trembling breath. "You-" She swallowed lightly, clearing her throat. "You've never said that before."

"But I've always meant it," he whispered, burying his nose into the crook of her neck again.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, pulling him as close to her as she possibly could, holding him tightly.

He smiled as he looked down at her. This was his woman, his life, his love. She would never leave him and he would never leave her. He wanted to prove that to her. His demon wanted to prove that to her.

He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers tightly, kissing her passionately as he held her face in his hands. She tightened her arms around his neck, tilting her head to the side to kiss him deeper, running her tongue across his lips.

He growled in response, opening his mouth to let her tongue in. They started a battle for dominance, their tongues dancing together. Sesshomaru's hands started to roam her body again, making her gasp and mewl against his mouth. He took the opportunity to take control of the kiss, pulling her body flush against his as his tongue controlled hers.

She moaned, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He was always such an amazing kisser, and his hands were driving her insane. "Sesshomaru..." she whispered breathily, swallowing.

He opened his red-rimmed eyes to look at her, his lip pulling back to bear his teeth to her, his demon wanting her to submit. She stared up at him, taking a deep breath. Leaning forward, she kissed him under his chin before leaning her head back, exposing her neck.

Sesshomaru growled deeply, the red in his eyes bleeding through all of the gold. He leaned forward and grabbed her by the back of the neck, their hips pressed tight together, his nose pressing against her skin. His eyes closed as he bit down on her neck gently, making her moan.

His eyes shot open, the red having completely taken over the familiar gold. She made such wonderful noises, her body was so welcoming. He needed her.

Unable to take it anymore, he lifted her up with his hands on her bottom and carried her over to the closest rock. He had taken her as a human the last time, but this time would be different. He would take her as the demon inside him wanted. He set her on the rock, and within seconds, flipped her over and pressed into her.

Kagome gasped, not having anticipated the sudden intrusion, but welcomed it nonetheless. He started to move inside her, making her eyes squeeze tightly shut, moaning as her breasts pressed into the rock.

"Sesshomaru..." she whispered through her breaths, spreading her legs wider.

He growled deeply, his entire being shaking, making her shiver as well. He started to move faster, her moans becoming louder and harder, egging him on. He leaned forward, putting his body into it more, setting his hands on the rock next to her own.

She started to cry out, pressing her mouth into her arm to keep the noises down, pleasure rippling through her body. Her hips knocked into the rocks, but the pleasure completely over-rode the pain. Her mind was hazy, and nothing else mattered but him and her.

His breaths were becoming labored. His bitch was getting the pleasure she wanted, he could tell from the noises. As long as she was being pleasured, he would allow himself to take the pleasure he needed as well. He reached down and lifted her hips up, allowing himself to push deeper into her warm, tight passage.

Her body was writhing in pleasure, being brought to new heights of pleasure from his administrations. "Sesshomaru... Sesshomaru!" she cried out over and over, not able to say anything else.

Her hands moved across the rock, her fingers shaking and twitching. He knew what she was looking for, and turned her hands over, linking their fingers together. His chest pressed flat to her back as he felt her getting closer, the growls emitting from him flowing straight into her.

Her heart was racing as she felt his breath on her skin, knowing she was almost there. "Sesshomaru... s-so close.." she moaned out, sweat beading on her skin.

His lips pulled back, bearing his teeth again, pressing the front of them to her skin. His demon was raging, going insane and twisting inside of him. It needed her to be pleasured, it needed her to reach her climax, it needed her to be his.

Her toes curled as her hips bucked, seconds away. "Oh god... yes... SESSHOMARU!" she screamed as she climaxed around him. Her body jerked and stiffened at the same time, her fingers squeezing his so hard that her nails dug straight into the back of his hand, breaking his skin.

His eyes widened as he felt her nails on his skin. He let out a roar as he came, losing control of his demon, leaning down and digging his fangs into the junction of her neck and shoulder. Her eyes shot open at the feeling, everything in her body tensing, unable to move.

He moved his hips a few more times, his eyes open and wild, the animal in him having complete control. He slowly started to calm down, his hips stopping as he finally pulled his fangs from her neck. She just layed there, pulling her bloodied fingertips away from his hand, swallowing as her body trembled.

Taking a deep breath, Sesshomaru started to regain some of his strength, rolling them over so that his back was against the rock, sliding out of her. He looked down, seeing the blood running over her smooth skin. Not enjoying the sight, he leaned forward and licked along her skin, clearing the blood from it.

She layed completely still on top of him, her hair sticking to both of their bodies. The haze in her mind started to clear as she turned her head to the side. Realization started to settle onto her, her heart beating as fast as it had been a minute ago. She made a noise as though she was going to speak, but found herself unable to say anything. She finally found her voice a moment later. "What now?"

Sesshomaru looked at her, his eyes completely returned to normal. The full impact of what had just happened finally hit him. He just looked up into the emptiness of the night sky, not able to answer, not wanting to answer.

**AN: **There you go! My two-shot is completed, and I'm currently working on the rest of it for those people who want me to continue it. Just give the word and it shall be done! genie headbob I lovers you all my pretties! Go, review, and be merry.

kagomes-wanna-be

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	3. Author's Note

**AN:** Ahhhhhhh! They found me! No!

Sorry folks, but I have been discovered, and have thus been asked to change the rating of this story from T to M. And, since I am a good natured writer(who doesn't wish to be reported and kicked) I will do as requested. I was hoping that the warning in the summary would have been good enough, 'cause that does about as much good as warning of the "inapropriate nature" as an M rating does. But, alas, I seem to have been wrong.

So, here is my note as to the switching of ratings, so that if anyone looks for it in T, they now know that it won't be there!

QUICKLY!  
Why is it that I would warn you of a rating switch if the story is finished?  
Hmmm... questions questions questions.

But no answers. Sorry.

Bye!

kagomes-wanna-be


	4. Chapter 3

**AN:** You have spoken! And I have answered! There is honestly nothing I can say buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut:

**The Continuation!**

What Now?

kagomes-wanna-be

Chapter 3- Telling Them

Kagome fidgeted with her clothes before turning and fixing a non-existent wrinkle in Sesshomaru's clothes, adjusting his boa. He normally hated anyone touching it, but she was the exception to most of his rules. Plus, she loved how it felt, and he loved making her happy.

He sighed exasperatedly as she started to wipe at a dirty spot on her skirt that wasn't there. Walking up behind her, he let out a deep purr and pulled her to his armor covered chest. "Calm down, mate," he whispered. "There's no reason to be nervous."

"What?" she practically cried out, pulling away and looking at him in disbelief. "How can you say that? We just got mated!"

"I know this," he said, pulling her against him and smiling into her neck proudly. "And last I was aware, you actually wanted to do so."

She sighed, nodding her head. "I know, and I did-do. I... ugh," Kagome groaned, sitting on on a rock, burrying her face in her hands. "I just... I didn't expect it to happen so fast. I didn't have time to prepare! What are we going to tell everyone!?"

Sesshomaru sat next to his mate, pulling her into his lap and facing her towards him. "We will tell them that we are mates," he told her earnestly. "That we always will be, and that there is nothing they can do about it."

Kagome looked athim for a moment before smiling softly, nodding her head. "You're right," she told him, reaching down and taking his hands in hers. She ruan her thumb over the five, tiny crescents on each hand. "You hold my marks, and I hold yours."

"Exactly," he said, leaning forward and kissing her. "Now repeat it with me."

"What?"

"What I spoke earlier. I want you to say it with me," he explained.

"Oh," she said, laughing embarressdly. "... Okay."

She cleared her throat, smiling at him as they repeated the words together. "Good," he said once they were finished. "Now say it yourself."

"What?" she asked, laughing as she look at him. "Come on, let's just go," she said, trying to stand up.

"No," he said, gripping her hands and her back down. "Kagome... this is serious. I need to know that you are serious. Now... say it," he practically commanded. "I need to be sure you're ready for this."

Kagome stared into his golen eyes and realized just how serious this was. "Alright," she said, nodding her head. "We are mates. We always will be, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"Good," he said, a proud smile on his face.

She smiled at him, kissing him lovingly. "I love you," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his.

"I love you as well, my mate," he rold her back softly.

They sat there for a long moment, just looking at each other. He couldn't help but notice the fact that if she had the markings of a demon, their marks would be touching. But though she was absent of these marks, everything felt right about this.

"We should go," he said, recieving a groan from her.

"No," she whined out, leaning her head down on the unarmored part of his chest. "Can't we just stay here?" she asked. "Just stay here and never leave. Maybe go into hiding. We'll never have to deal with anyone again."

He sighed, ignoring the fact that if they were in fact to go into hiding, they couldn't "just stay here", and responded, "Kagome, you know that running is not the answer. This is our fate. We have to face this as we would anything else."

"You're right," Kagome finally said. "So lets get going then," she told him, standing up and pulling him up by his hands.

"Very wise," he replied, kissing her as he stood up as well. He walked over and picked up her bag, carrying it in one hand and letting her take the other.  
-------------

They had been walking in silence for almost 30 minutes. They had talked a bit at first, but the butterflies in Kagome's stomach had soon taken over her tongue, rendering her silent. They were getting closer and closer to her group, and it made her more and more nervous.

'It's gonna be fine. It's gonna be fine,' she kept reminding herself mentally.

Sesshomaru could feel his mate's discomfort, and he hated not being able to do anything about it. He wished he could so much. This was just something she would have to deal with herself.

"Okay... it's just ahead," she told him, her hands starting to sweat.

"I know, I can smell them."

"Oh... right," she said, taking deep breaths. She stopping walking, looking up at him. "But, shouldn't they smell us then?"

"Our scent is hidden," he told her, his face as stoic as it used to be.

She stared at him for a moment, confused by his sudden change of attitude. He was speaking in fragments, as he never did with her anymore, and his voice, face, and eyes were completely void of emotion. She looked towards the thick brush that was seperating them from the camp. Worry struck her as she began to think. She hadn't ever been in his prescence around other people, would he always be like this?

"We should reveal ourselves."

His voice broke her thoughts. "Oh, yeah, right... Let's go," she said, wringing her hands together.

She turned back to towards the brush, taking a deep breath. Sesshomaru took the seal on their scents off and they walked into camp.  
-------------

InuYasha sat in silence near the fire, watching Miroku recover from the slap Sango had just given him. Just because they were engaged, it didn't mean Sango appreciated being fondeled in public. He looked away as Miroku started his usual speal, trying to get Sango to forgive him. It was the same thing everytime, and it had somehow managed to get old.

His ears twitched to his right, but he paid no mind to it. He figured that a rabit or a fox had simply scurried by. But then they twitched in that direction again, his head following. He could have sworn he just heard voices.

"Hey, guys, shup up," InuYasha barked at the others.

They looked up from their bickering, confusion playing across their features. "Why?"

"I said shut up," he spat at them, geting them on gaurd.

"What's going on?" Sango asked quietly, seeing his nose move. "What do you smell?"

"Nothing," he said, just as quietly. "But I think I hear voices."

Sango and Miroku looked at each other, nodding their heads. They both grabbed their weapons, getting ready for anything that was going to come. It took a powerful demon to mask scents, and there was more than one, apparently.

"I think it's two," he told them, straning his ears as he scooted further from the log he had been sitting on. "Sounds male and female."

"Oh," Sango said, relaxing a bit. "It's probably just Kagome and someone. Maybe she ran into that Hojo boy," she suggested.

"Well," he started, listening carefully, "it does sort of sound like Kagome, but the other voice is too deep to be that whiny kid."

Sango rolled her eyes, but kept her grip steady on her hairakotsu. "Are you sure you can't small anything?"

He growled, getting annoyed by her, but decided to humor her anyway. He took a deep breath, a deep chill running down his spine as he did.

He quickly stood up, his hands holding the hilt of Tetsuseiga in a white knuckled grip. It couldn't be. Why would it be? It wouldn't be.

But all of his hopes were washed away as the two figures appeared through the brush, making him neary break his sword in half.

"Sesshomaru."  
-------------

The lok in InuYasha's eyes burned into her soul. She was sure he had stared at Sesshomaru like that before, but this time it felt like the look was at both of them. Sango and Miroku stood behind him, ready to fight, but too stunned to do so. Shippo sat next to Kirara, staring confused at Kagome, as though to ask what she was doing.

She cast her eyes downwards, her jaw tight and throat dry, unable to look at them any longer. No matter who she looked at, she could see only one word burning into her.

_Traitor._

InuYasha glared at Sesshomaru before looking down at Kagome, panic playing in his eyes. He drew his sword, pointing the tip of the transformed blade towards Sesshomaru's throat. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice hard. "What have you done?"

Sesshomaru stood there, giving no reply. He could feel his mate's nervousness. He kept his eys on InuYasha, though. He was no longer his enemy, but you never take your eyes off of your opponent.

"What the hell have you done?!" InuYasha cried, daggars in his voice. He shook his sword in warning, the worst scenarios imaginable playing through his mind.

"This Sesshomar does not need to explain himself to you."

InuYasha's jaw tightened, forcing himself to not lash out. He looked at Kagome, realizing that nothing was holding her. "Kagome, just... just get away from him."

"Yes. Kagome come over here to us," Miroku ordered from behind InuYasha.

Kagome's eyes darted from person to person before looking up at Sesshomaru. She was trembling and it only worsened as she realized she was going to get no help from her mate.

"Kagome," InuYasha's voice broke through her thoughts. "What's going on?"

She stared at him, feeling her eyes fill with tears. She knew what she had to say, but she only hoped she had the voice to do so. "Me and Sesshomaru a-are-" she stopped, her throat aching, desperately needing water. "Me and Sesshomaru are... we're mates."

The world stopped. Nothing in her body moved, it couldn't. She was gonna be suck. Maybe they had been wrong, maybe this was wrong. It shouldn't be this hard. "We always will be mates and there's nothing anyone can do about it," she finished their saying shakily.

InuYasha just stood there, expressionless, staring at Kagome. He felt as though he had no energy, his body dead and mind numb. The Tetsuseiga shrunk back to normal porportions in his hands, but it took him a full minute before he could put it back in his sheath.

"Fine then," he said, nodding his head. He opened her mouth as though he was going to say something else, but quickly closed it. "Yeah," he finally spoke again, turning and walking out of the clearing.

Sesshomaru was proud of her. He knew how hard this had to be for her, but she still did it. She had admitted their unity in front of those she was most afraid of. She had taken this seriously, no matter how nerve racking it was.

"I... I need to go," he heard Kagome's cracked voice say.

He looked down at her, worried from the state she was in. "What is it?" he asked, turning to her and brushing some hair behind her ear.

She jerked away from his touch. "I-I need to go for a walk," she told him. Her eyes were wide and panic stricken, tears filled at the edges.

"Alright. Let's go," he said. Perhaps this hadn't been as easy for her as he had thought.

"No," she said, shaking her head vigorously. She turned away from him, her eyes glazed over. "I... want to go by myself. I want tobe alone." She looked at him for a moment before walking away.

He stared at her back as it disappeared into the surrounding forest. He was stunned into silence, unable to move. His demon was furious. They had just mated and she was already doubting their coupling. She needed to be taught to trust him and respect him and their decision.

But the other side of him, the more civil side, kept its cool. She was human, and this was her nature. He still had to get used to this kind of thing, though. He just needed to give her some room, let her cool off and everything would be fine. Or he hoped at least. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the look off his face. He turned and ended up giving that look straight to Miroku and Sango.

They stood there, frozen to the spot. What were they supposed to do? They couldn't hurt him, he was their friend's mate, and he didn't seem to have hurt her in any way. But that didn't mean he would be as nice to them.

"We should go and talk to them," Sango said, excitement in her voice at being able to get out of the clearing.

"Yes, I believe you're right. We should go talk to them," Miroku agreed with her, relieved.

The looked at Sesshomaru once more before quickly heading off in the different directions of their friends. "Wait for me," Shippo called out, scampering after Miroku.

Sesshomaru was just annoyed now. Why would he hurt anyone dear to his mate? "Foolish humans," he thought. He loved his mate, but her race could still be a nuisance.

He looked around the clearing with bored eyes, seeing the fire and the trees and such. Once that bored him further, he sighed and sat down against a tree. Closing his eyes and crossing his legs, he tried to relax until his mate, or anyone, came back.

His eyes twitched lighly as the soft padding of feet tickled his ears. Opening his eyes, he looked down to see the demon slayer's small companion looking back at him with her wide, red eyes.

"Meow?" she mewled, cocking her head to the side.

"What?" he asked with slitted eyes.

She just stared up at him before walking forward, climbing into his lap and settling down in a comfotable position. He stared at the small creature in wonder, stiff for a moment. Finally, after realizing the cat-demon was not trying anything suspicious, he relaxed.

Closing his eyes again, he took deep breaths, enjoying the momentary silence as he placed his hand on the cat-demon's back.

**AN:** And there it is! Chapter 1 of the continuation! Chapter 3 of the entire story! It's a wonderful, wonderful thing, isn't it? I hope you liked this chapter and that you continue to come back to read the others. Please tell people about this story, and add it to your C2s if you have them. Also be sure to read my other stories. Love ya, love ya.

kagomes-wanna-be

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	5. Chapter 4

**AN: **It's been forever. I know. I'm SO sorry. I just haven't been able to get passed a certain part in this chapter. I'm pushing through it though! I've got a week left 'til I'm off to camp and I want to get as much down in my stories as I possibly can! So here it is!

**What Now?  
The Continuation**

**kagomes-wanna-be**

**Chapter Four:  
Reactions**

Kagome was pacing back and forth in a clearing. What was she going to do? There was nothing she could do. At this point, everything was done.

She tried to breath, but any air she could get came in short, labored breaths. Her hands were trembling as the fidgeted, unable to calm herself. She sounded as though she were crying, but no tears were falling. She had no control over her body.

No matter what she did, horrible things kept playing through her mind. Everyone hating her, not wanting Sesshomary or her there, InuYasha kicking her out of the group, her and Sesshomaru literally fighting to the death. She stopped in her tracks as tears finally invaded her eyes. What if they did fight? What if one of them really did die? What if they bothdied? What if everyone died?

_'No! Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!'_ she screamed at herself, clutching her head as she collapsed to her knees. It seemed she had no control over her mind, either. She just didn't know what she was going to do.

She managed to crawl back until she reached a tree to support herself against. Her hand gripped at her chest, trying to breath, but it was only getting harder. She was starting to hyperventilate. She was having a full on panic attack and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Please," she managed to gasp out, clawing at the ground. Tears started to fall down her face and her eyes squeezed tightly shut in desperation. "Please..."

"Kagome!" Her eyes opened just enough to see Sango rushing towards her.  
--

Sango ran as fast as she could, hearing the noises Kagome was making. She had told Shippo to stay back a ways, not wanting him to hear or see Kagome like this. She stopped a litle bit away from the clearing, shocked by the sight in front of her. Kagome sat on the floor, trempling, pleading, gasping for air. But it looked as though she was recieving none.

"Kagome!" she cried out as she rushed into the palely lit clearing, dropping her Hairokotsu to the ground as she kneeled. "Kagome!" she repeated. "Kagome, you have to sit up," she instructed, pushing her friend up from the tree, grabbing her arms and lifting them over her head. "Just take deep... slow breaths."

Kagome tried to do as she said, but it only made her lungs burn more. "I... can't. I can't," she weezed out, coughing and hacking, afraid for her life.

"Damnit Kagome! You have to breath!" Sango ground out. She rubbed her back to tre and calm her friend. "Just try to relax, okay? Just breath with me," she told her, taking deep, loud breaths.

Kagome looked up at her with scared eyes, but did as she said. She slowly closed her mouth to take deeper breaths through her nose. Slowly, the pressure in her chest lifted as her airway opened again. Her mouth hung open and she took in deep breaths of the cool air.

Sango leaned her back against the tree, trying to smile comfortingly. "There... Everything's all better." She was shooken up over what just happened, but she tried not to let it show. The thought over what might have happened if she didn't come scared her. "Everything's fine," she muttered, more to herself than to her friend.

Kagome just sat there. Her back was against the bark of the tree and her eyes were closed. She oened her eyes and sat there for what felt like fours, though only a few minutes passed before she threw herself at her friends. "Oh Sango!" she cried, burrying her face into Sango's shoulder. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Sango sat in stunned silence as her friend's tears bled through her clothes. "Oh... Kagome, no," Sango said and enveloped Kagome in a hug. "Why are you sorry?"

"I-I souldn't have... I didn't..." She couldn't manage anything out, all her words broken and hoarse. "I'm sorry, I should've told someone. Anyone." Her voice was soft as she pulled back and stared at her. "I should've told you, Sango. You're my best friend... I should've told you..."

Kagome hung her head and Sango could only stare at her in disbelief. The mental agony her friend was going through played so intensely on her face. It was breaking her heart.

"I just... I wanted to be with him so bad. He's so amazing, Sango," Kagome continued, sniffling as she smiled sadly. "But... I wasn't thinking of anyone else. I wasn't thinking of how I... how... how I'd be betraying all of you," she managed out before breaking down in sobs again.

"Oh, Kagome, no," Sango sai, pulling her into another hug. "No no no. Don't you dare think that! No one thinks that you betrayed us, no one!"

"Really?" Kagome asked, hiccuping as she pulled back and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Sango smiled softly, nodding her head. "Really," she confirmed, brushing some of Kagome's hair out of her face.

Kagome smiled softly, nodding her head. "Alright," she said quietly. She took deep breaths, trying to once again regain control of herself. Everything she thought had been cpletely in her head, and she had simply overreacted. Once she was feeling better, she realized how much of an apology she owed Sesshomaru. "I think it's time to go back."

"Okay," Sango said as she looked at her friend proudly. She understood that this was hard, but she also knew that she'd pull through it. Kagome was far stronger than she gave herself credit for, and Sango could only hope that Sesshomaru would help her realize this.

Sango helped her up slowly, making sure to be careful. As they started to walk back to camp the last thing on Kagome's mind was InuYasha, but he was the first thing on Sango's. She only hoped that Miroku could get him to understand.  
--

"InuYasha, you have to calm down," Miroku said again, leaning against a tree. His voice was flat and monotone. He wanted nothing more than to help his friend calm down, but there was only so much he could do if the half-demon refused to listen.

"Goddamnit!" InuYasha yelled as he uprooted another tree and tossed it away. He was furious and had opted to tearing down the forest instead of Kagome or Sesshomaru.

"InuYasha, you have to-"

"Shut up Miroku!" he cried as he began to pace back and forth in the clearing he had created. "I don't get it! I just don't get it!"

Miroku sighed, obviously unenthused. "Get what?"

"I mean, why him? Of ALL the begins in the world, why HIM?!" InuYasha continued, looking as though he were going to tear his hair out.

Miroku knew that InuYasha would just continue over him, but he knew he sould at least try. "Well who would you rather it be? Kouga?"

"YES!" InuYasha screamed as he spun to face Miroku. "Yes! Kouga! Bankotsu! NARAKU! At least that way I could kill them both without feeling any guilt!" He cried out as he punched a tree trunk as hard as he could. The wood splinted and then split, the tree falling backwards.

He knew there wasn't much he could do at this point and that his friend just needed to let it out, but Miroku still wanted to help if he could. He walked up behind InuYasha's trembling form and placed his hands on his shoulder. "InuYasha, you need to calm down," he said firmly.

"Get offa me," InuYasha grumbled, trying to shrug him off.

"No!" Miroku stated and pushed down on InuYasha's shoulders while hitting at his knees, making the half-demon sit down in surprise. "Now you will stay seated right there until you are calm. If not for yourself, then to protect this damn forest."

InuYasha was caught off aurd by his friend's sudden dominance and simply nodded his head in bewilderment. He cast his eyes downward and dug his fingers into the soft forest dirt. "I just... I don't understand," he confessed, letting out a sigh.

Miroku repeated his friends sigh, sitting on the ground next to his friend. "I know. But you have to try to InuYasha," Miroku explained to him. "They're happy together. Sesshomaru, though maybe not the most... compatible choice, will keep her safe. Especially if they're already mates." He was quiet for a moment before looking at InuYasha. "Are they already mates?"

InuYasha grumbled out a "Yes" as he nodded his head. The scent on both of them had been too strong not to notice. They weren't just together, they were mated.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. All demons are possessive of their mates."

"Especially dog demons... they'll be together forever," InuYasha stated. He knew what Miroku said was true. Dog demons wouldn't force anyone into being their mates, and the bond that was created could only be broken by death. It just wasn't deniable aymore. InuYasha had lost Kagome for good, and it had been to his half-brother. "We should go back."

Miroku looked at him, surprised at his sudden turn around. "Are you sure?" he asked hesitanty.

"Of course," he said, stood up, then thought twice and added a, "Lecher."

Miroku chuckled gently, shakin his head and stood up. He was glad to see his friend come out of his anger, though he still knew that it was going to take a toll on him. _'I hope you're okay, my friend.'  
--_

Kirara jumped from Sesshomaru's lap as he smelt Kagome drawing nearer, straightening his clothing. Sango walked in first, and he felt his heart drop a little bit, having hoped to see his Kagome. She finally walked in a few seconds later and he stood straighter, staring at her. Sango looked between the two of them before bending down and picking up Kirara, walking to the other side of the clearing to mind her own business.

Kagome walked up to him, staring into his eyes as she tried to find something to say. "I... I'm sorry," she said slowly, looking away from him.

He stepped forward, placing his hand on her cheek and rubbing it gently with his thumb. "Kagome, don't be sorry," he said, stepping closer to her, his other arm sliding around her waist. "There is no reason for you to be apologising to me."

"Yes there is," she told him, nodding her head. "You're my mate now. I shouldn't keep anything from you. Ever," she said, lifting her hands to rest against his chest. "You should be the one who comforts me. You DO comfort me. I wouldn't want to do anything to ever make you think differently."

Sessomaru stared down at his mate, feeling a swelling in his heart. She was so young, and she knew nothing of demons or of mating and yet she was still willing to learn. She was willing to learn how to be his mate, and to be as open as possible. The girl was gorgeous, and intelligent, and had a heart the size of his ego. He didn't know why she had agreed to be with him in the first place, but she had, and she completely understood what all came with the title of mates.

He couldn't say anything, so he merely leaned down and captured her lips in his own, bringing his hand up to rest on her other cheek. Her eyes slid closed as she returned his kiss deeply, tipping her head back as the kiss deepened. "Mine..." he growled against her hips, his chest vibrating in a purr-like state.

She giggled, her nose scrunching up gently as she pulled back and licked her lips, resting her forhead against his. "Mmhmm. And you're mine," she whispered back, opening her eyes, chocolate meeting gold.

Sango stared at the scene from her side of the clearing, sighing as softly as she could. This was gong to be hard. For her, for them, for everyone. They all knew it. But when she saw the way that they staed into each others eyes, she knew that it didn't matter. Anything that happened, they would make it through. She had never seen two people stare at each other as lovingly as they did.

Someone cleared their throat from the tree line, catching everyone's attention as they turned to look. They saw InuYasha standing there, his back stiff as he looked across at Kagome and Sesshomaru. "It's been a long night. We should go to bed," he said after a moment's pause.

Kagome swallowed gently, nodding her head. "Alright," they agreed. InuYasha jumped into a tree, settling his back against the trunk while everyone else prepared for bed.

Sesshomaru turned and walk back to the tree he had been sitting against earlier, watching as Miroku and Sango got comfortable together and Shippo and Kirara curled up around each other as well. Kagome walked over to him, looking down at him with a puzzled expression.

"What is it?" he asked, reaching up and clasping her hand gently.

"I can't sleep sitting up," she told him.

"Well then don't," he said, taking the sleeping bag from her and placing it on the ground next to him.

She looked down at him and smiled, sitting down on the ground. She looked at him, smiling as she leaned forward and kissed him gently. "Goodnight Sesshomaru," she whispered, smiling against his lips before slipping into her sleeping bag and resting her head against his thigh, curling up beside him.

He stared down at her and smiled softly at her peaceful form. "Goodnight, mate," he whispered, gently stroking her hair as he leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes.

**AN:** Alright, that kinda sucked. And it was LONG. Too long, I'd have to say. Bleh. Oh well. It's up, and it's staying, and hopefully the next chapter won't be written in the middle of the night and it will be more cohesive and focused. Until then, I hope you review and read my other stories. I have a Death Note one now! :D Go, review, and be merry.

kagomes-wanna-be

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	6. Chapter 5

**AN: **Awwww! You guys! Thank you so much for the great reviews and encouragement for my writing. You guys really pumped me up about my writing, and I'm sorry that I haven't been able to get this to you sooner, but I've been insanely busy. I really hope you guys like it! ALSO! I'm putting up a poll about this story on my profile, so you should really go take it, 'cause I want your input for as to whether or not I should. Please go take it!

**What Now?**

**kagomes-wanna-be**

**Chapter Five:  
Bad Meat **

The early morning sun felt so good on her skin that she didn't feel like moving. She could hear the soft breathing of the others in the camp mixing with the sounds of the breeze. It soothed her in her half-awake state. She felt so at peace with the world, so tranquil. For the first time in a long time, everything felt alright.

A hand gently caressing the top of her head caused a bright smile to spread across her lips. He knew she was away - of course he knew. Her eyes fluttered open to be met by swirling golden eyes, and her breath hitched. As long as she had a say, this would always be the sight that she awoke to for the rest of her life.

"Good morning." His voice was so welcoming to he ears and she could only smile through her sleep fog.

"Good morning," she returned, her eyes closing again for a moment as she reached up and lazily ran her fingers down the mark on his cheek.

The grin on his face broadened as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. "Why don't you sit up with me?" he asked with a soft tone.

"Why don't you lay down with me?" she retorted. She grinned up at him smugly, not wanting to move from her position.

"Okay."

His simply answer surprised her, but she didn't move to stop him. He lifted her head and placed it on the soft forest floor before attempting to slip into the sleeping bag besides her. She giggled at how cumbersome the simple task was for him and glared at her. "Is there something funny?"

"No." Her voice was caught in a fit of giggles. She cleared her throat and stated it again. "No, but if you took off that bulky armor then moving about might be slightly easier for you."

He sat there for a moment, thinking. Finally he seemed to make up his mind and undid the clasps at his shoulders, pulling it off and setting it against the tree. He slid back down into the recess of her sleeping bag and raised an eyebrow. "Is that more to your liking?"

She smiled sleepily and nodded her head. "Very much so," she responded. Her arms wrapped around his slim waist and she sighed contentedly at the feel of her skin against the silkiness of his clothing. "It feels so good to hold you without that horrible armor."

"It feels good to hold you at all," he told her with his own sigh, pulling her closed. He pressed his lips to her forehead and closed his eyes to relax once he was sure that everyone in the camp was still in their sleeping places.

"Really?" she asked happily, tilting her head back to smile up at him.

His eyes opened again and he gazed down at her. "Really," he assured, leaning down and capturing her lips with his own.

Kagome let out a sigh and allowed herself to relax into his kiss. It felt so good to just be held by him. Bliss was the only way she could describe what she was feeling. Not only was she in love, but they were happy, they were in public.

They were kissing.

Sesshomaru's arms wrapped even tighter around her, their bodies involuntarily pressing together. A sigh snuck from Kagome's lips and he took advantage of the moment. His tongue slipped into her parted cavern and her eyes widened. For some reason, she didn't see Sesshomaru as the kind for such public displays of affection. Not that she planned on arguing.

Their bodes pressed closer together in the morning, and Kagome felt her courage rising - or maybe it was just her skin heating, she wasn't sure. She began to move her leg against his temptingly, and he returned the favor. It surprised her how open he was to her administrations, but her thoughts began to reason the actions. _'He's my mate,'_ she told herself. _'He's like my husband, and we're newly weds. It's normal to want it this bad. Hell, it's almost expected.'_

With this final boost, Kagome pulled her lips from his and took a deep breath. Their foreheads were pressed together and her fingers buried in his long, white mane as she said, "Maybe we should go back to the springs to finish cleaning."

Her hands trembled with nervousness. She had never been so open about this, not even in her own thoughts. But she told herself it was fine. He had to want this as bad as she did.

And then her world caved in.

"I think we cleaned sufficiently last night."

_'What?!' _Her mind was screaming in confusion, her face turning bright as a cherry in embarrassment. Croaking noises escaped her throat, but nothing else followed. How was she supposed to respond to that?

"Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice full of worry. "Are you alright? You seem flustered."

_'No duh!' _her mind cried in frustration, but she would never say that to his face. "I'm fine."

Sesshomaru's mouth opened to speak again, but another voice was heard. "Alright lovers, time to wake up."

Kagome looked up just in time to see InuYasha's red clad body leap from a tree nearby. Sango and Miroku both shifted slightly, but made no move to get up. "Oi! Monk, slayer, let's get going!" he called out, bending down a bit to ensure them hearing him. Once they both began to sit up, he walked off to begin his usual morning routine.

Sango stretched her arms and pointed her toes as her body came back to life. Rubbing her eyes in the bright sunlight, she scanned the clearing, her eyes pausing on the other couple. "Well you two look comfy," she commented with a knowing smile.

With Kagome's confidence as a 'woman' now slaughtered, she could only blush deeper and sit up. "So what should we have for breakfast?" she asked. She quickly unzipped the sleeping back and threw it off her and her mate.

Sango giggled softly but didn't respond. Kagome opened her pack, pulling out the bagged hunk of meat, layed in salt to preserve it. She opened it and pressed her nose into it. The stench from it caused her head to revere back and her nose scrunch up. "That smells really bad," Shippo commented for her, both him and Kirara covering their nose.

"Oh no, it must have gone bad," Kagome sighed, her stomach grumbling as if on cue. "Miroku, will you find InuYasha and ask him to get us some breakfast?"

"I'll do it."

The others looked up at Sesshomaru as he stood on his side of the clearing. "Are you sure?" Miroku asked. "You must be tired after last night."

Kagome shot Miroku a glare, but Sesshomaru ignored his lecherous accusation. "I'm positive. I must pull my weight somehow." He passed Kagome as he walked out of the clearing, his hand sliding along the side of her head as he walked past before letting it fall to his side.

The touch hadn't been mean, or wonton in its intentions. It was merely a caring brush, one to let her know that he was there - he was close. Kagome couldn't help but turn her head into the touch, nuzzling against it. It was comforting, but left her cold when it was gone.

Sango and Miroku watched the silent transaction, frowning as Kagome watched him walk away forlornly. Something couldn't be wrong already... could it?

--

The couples sat across from each other, laughing (with a soft snort of acknowledgement from Sesshomaru, of course) as Kagome stirred the rabbit's meat. The joke hadn't been very funny, but it was welcomed in the wake of the stressful night before. "I don't get it," Shippo pouted.

"Perhaps when you're older," Miroku commented, patting him on the head.

Shippo snapped at his hand playfully, causing another laugh from the group. A semblance of a smile passed the demon lord's lips at the young demon's lips. It oddly pleased him that the young pup was having a happy life while some part of his innocence remained.

There was a rustling in the trees above before InuYasha landed next to them. "So what's for breakfast?" he asked, hungry for food.

The group ignored his dirty, haggard looks. He had started a training regime in the mornings a while ago, usually consisting of weapon and skills training along with muscle work. He knew that he was a half demon, and most of his abilities and strengths came naturally, but that didn't mean he could be lazy. He wanted to be as ready as possible for the next time they happened into Naraku.

"Rabbit," Kagome answered, adding some more spice into the meat.

He looked at her curiously. "I thought we had pig left from that headman."

"He did, but it went bad 'cause we waited too long," she explained.

_'Damn,'_ InuYasha thought. He really liked pig. "So where'd the rabbit come from?"

"Sesshomaru got it," Sango answered hurriedly, her stomach growling. "Is it almost finished?"

"Another minute or so."

"Why didn't you guys get me?"

"You were busy," Kagome brushed by the question. "So where are we heading after breakfast?"

"North," said Miroku.

"Why-"

"But there was a demon story from the East," countered Sango.

"Can't we head back to the village for a while?"

"Th-"

"I suggest my manor."

"Really?"

"BUT I ALWAYS DO THE HUNTING!"

InuYasha's mounting frustration at being spoken over finally peaked. His outburst surprised the others, who stared at him blankly.

"Brother, I am more than capable of catching a rabbit," Sesshomaru commented, his gaze unblinking.

Silence reigned after Sesshomaru spoke. InuYasha could only stare. 'How dare he!?' his mind screamed, but there wasn't anything to really be angry about. His voice hadn't been mean or belittling, just matter of fact. It had been so... so...

Denouncing.

As the weight of his overreaction began to press on his shoulders, InuYasha could only come up with one solution:

Make it worse by acting like a three year old.

"Keh," was his response - his only response - as he stood up and leaped into the surrounding trees, disappearing.

_--_

_'__I hate this,' _Kagome thought to herself as she cleaned the dishes at the river that was feeding the springs._ 'Why did he have to overreact like that? We didn't mean anything by it!'_

Her mind tried to reason why InuYasha acted the way he did. She knew that it had to be weird with the new member of their group - and her mate - being Sesshomaru, considering they were once willing to kill each other. _'I don't know, maybe he just feels betrayed... I'm sure undermining his hunting didn't help any either.'_

She sighed and shook her head. Miroku should've just gone and got InuYasha. Why did Sesshomaru have to insist that he would do it!? She knew that he just wanted to help, but wasn't there certain orders to a pack that demons just knew? Especially if they were both dog demons?

She was just looking too much into it. Pack order was probably relative. Sometimes the leader did everything, and sometimes they probably did nothing and let everyone else did it. InuYasha was just the former, and Sesshomaru needed to learn that.

Not that she was going to be the one to tell him._ 'Please just don't get in a fight for dominance,' _Kagome prayed in silence. _'I don't know what I'd do if I had to choose between the two of you...'_

There was a soft breeze and Kagome let her eyes close, her thoughts going blank for a moment. The breeze was so calming, and it blew the smells of the forest and springs all around her. Never had she seen, smelled, or heard such a peaceful moment in her time. The world just wasn't peaceful enough for such moments to occur.

But it was all broken as her eyes shot open.

"Oh no."

Kagome grabbed the dishes and fled as fast as possible from the river, her chest heaving as her lungs burned from the run. She dived into the clearing and began throwing everything back into her bag, all the others looking at her in shock. "Kagome, what's wrong?"

She didn't stop moving. "We have to go, now. We have to get back to Kaede's."

"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked as he sat up, sniffing at the wind for any danger.

"There's no time! We have to go NOW!" Kagome turned to the open forest. "INUYASHA!!"

**AN: **Ohhhh. Bit of a cliffy:D I hope you guys liked it!

**Go take my poll!!!**

Go, be merry, and review.

kagomes-wanna-be

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	7. Chapter 6

**AN: **Well, I have asked and you have spoken. According to my poll, this story is about to turn all yaoi on our asses:D Sorry, little humor there. I'm sorry if you guys don't really like yaoi, but it won't be too strong, I promise. The main focus will still be on Kagome and Sesshomaru though, I promise you. So... yeah. I hope you enjoy it:) And sorry it's been so long!

**What Now?**

**kagomes-wanna-be**

**Chapter Six:  
Fear**

InuYasha stared up at the sky and sighed. He was annoyed, but he didn't know about what. Something inside of him made him feel... itchy. But it was an itch he couldn't scratch.

He felt like jumping, running, screaming, sitting, crying, laughing, fighting. All at the exact same time. So, instead, he sat. He just sat there, in the steam of the hot springs, staring up at the grey ceiling of water above him, trying to spot the blue of the sky. Normally, this would have driven him mad, but when his other option was to tear himself apart limb by limb, sitting motionlessly wasn't so bad.

The only problem was that it gave him time to think, which he hated. No matter how much he tried to shut down his brain, he just couldn't. Thoughts and images and memories were flashing through his mind.

He closed his eyes gently and bent forward. He pressed his face into his hands. _'Why did I have to snap like that?'_ he berated himself. _'It wasn't that big of a deal. All he did was get some food for the group. I wasn't there, so they asked him to get food. That's not a bad thing. All he did was get food._

_'And Kagome.'_

He groaned as the voice in the back of his mind began whispering like it always does. He leaned back against the edge of the hot spring dejectedly. _'Why do I keep going back to that?! I don't like her like that!'_

And he honestly didn't. Most people wouldn't believe him if he told them that, but it was true. He knew that the others always thought that he had feeling for her, and he did, but they were never like that. He'd always been protective of the girl, yes, and he'd do just about anything for her. It took him a long time to explain what he felt towards her, but after a while he had finally settled that he felt towards her like a brother did towards a sister. He loved her, and he wanted to make sure she was always okay. It was the reason he was having such a hard time accepting Sesshomaru as her mate.

__

'All he's ever tried to do is hurt us. He's tried to hurt her! How... How do I know I can trust him?'

He sighed once again and closed his eyes. _'I know Kagome is smart, but I just don't know if she knows what she's done. I hope she does...' _

His thoughts managed to calm down a bit, but his skin still crawled. He felt completely restless. _'What about Kikyo?'_ he asked himself, deciding that thinking was better than doing nothing.

His mind came to a blank as he thought about her, unsure how to answer himself. _'I did have strong feelings for her... but they were so much like how I feel towards Kagome... And her lips...' _Memories of when he had felt her lips on his flashed through his mind.

The second time he had kissed her, her lips were cold, hard, and tasted of dirt. But the first time, she had been alive. Her lips were soft and warm, and he could practically feel the pulse of her blood through them. It had been enjoyable, and he had been so happy. But... something was still missing. It wasn't the kiss that people waited for, and hoped for.

He opened his eyes and stared out to the forest through the clouded steam. "Whatever," he muttered to himself, deciding to give up. He was too frustrated to think.

He ducked his head under the water and pushed away from the dirt wall, swimming about the small spring. He heard a noise rumble from above the waters and surfaced, just in time to catch the end of his name floating by.

His eyes widened and chest clenched. "Kagome."

--

Sesshomaru flinched as Kagome screamed into the trees, fighting the urge to cover his ears. "Kagome, what's wrong?" he asked once she finally stopped screaming, standing up

"We have to go, and we have to go now!" she urged as she began rolling up her sleeping bag and tried to squeeze it back into her bag.

"Why? Why do we have to go?" Sango asked from the other side of the fire.

"There's no time to explain right now!" Kagome cried as she turned to put out the fire.

Sesshomaru intercepted her, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to look up at him. "Kagome." He kept his voice very calm as he spoke to her. "You need to calm down and tell me what's wrong."

She just stood there, staring up at him for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I have a test."

Sango and Miroku could have killed her. "That's it?"

"You had us worried sick!"

"Test?"

Kagome blinked up at Sesshomaru, suddenly feeling very stupid. "Oh," she bit her lip, rubbing the back of her head. "Didn't I tell you about those?"

"No."

She gulped at the firmness in his voice, though was relieved as he loosened his grip on her shoulders. "Well, in my time, I go to school-"

"For what?" he asked.

"Um... everything." She laughed gently as he looked perplexed. "In my time, kids go to school to learn all sorts of things - math, reading, kanji, health, science - and every so often, you're given a test to see how much you've learned. I have a really important test today, and I completely forgot about it."

He could only stare at her for a moment, trying to understand what she was saying. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short as InuYasha jumped into the clearing.

"Kagome!" he yelled, Tetsuseiga already pulled out. His eyes locked on her and how Sesshomaru was grabbing her, and he growled. "Let her go!" he yelled once more, instantly thinking that she had been yelling because of him.

He knocked Sesshomaru back, who was stunned momentarily in surprise. It didn't last long, however, as he righted himself and pulled out his own sword. "Watch yourself, brother."

"What were you doing to her!?" he cried. They both bared their teeth, and Kagome thought they could eat each other.

"Stop!" she screamed. "InuYasha, stop! Sesshomaru didn't do anything!"

For a moment, he didn't register what she said. Once he did, he turned to face her, relaxing his arms. "What do you mean? Why were you screaming?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. Her eyes couldn't help but run from his face down over his naked neck and shoulders to his chest and abs. He hadn't managed to get his shirt on in his rush to find her, and it left it exposed for her to see. His muscles gleamed in the early morning sun as water gently dripped down them, and she mentally noted that his morning workouts were paying off.

"She has a test," she heard Miroku's voice distantly. "She needs to get back to her time as fast as possible."

InuYasha looked ready to kill. "You were screaming like a banshee because you have a test."

His voice was strained and low. She gulped. "Yes."

It started as a low growl, but the sound in his throat quickly grew to a shout. "You were screaming because you had a test! What's wrong with you!? I thought you were seriously hurt Kagome!"

"Don't talk to my mate like that," Sesshomaru growled at InuYasha before Kagome could say anything.

InuYasha's eyes flicked over his shoulder, but he was too mad to care. "Whatever," he grumbled, putting away Tetsuseiga. "Get me when you're ready to leave." He brushed past her, pulled on his shirt, and jumped into a tree.

Kagome just stood there, staring at the ground. When she finally managed to lift her eyes, they locked on Sesshomaru, who stared at her strangely. His brow was furrowed gently as though in deep thought, and his eyes bore into hers, sending shivers down her spine. He stepped towards her and she could feel her heart quicken. When he was in front of her, she gulped. His body dwarfed her, making her feel tiny and helpless, and the look in his eyes frightened her.

He leaned down, her eyes closed, unsure what was going to happen. However, all she felt was his lips press against her temple in a soft kiss. "We'll get you back in time," he promised, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly before walking away to put out the fire.

She could only stand there. What had come over her? Why had she been afraid of her own mate? Thoughts flew through her mind, but as she looked from Sesshomaru up to InuYasha and back again, she could only hope that something like that never happened again.

--

Kagome, InuYasha and Sesshomaru stood at the Bone Eater's Well. Kagome had already said goodbye to the others, promising to be back in no time. Kagome looked between the two men, who had been avoiding all notions of each other the entire morning. Not that she didn't mind. It was better than them fighting again. Her stomach still churned from earlier.

"Kagome, do you have to go? It's already mid-morning," InuYasha scoffed, his arms crossed.

She sighed gently, nodding her head. "For the millionth time, yes, I have to go back. The class I have the test in isn't until the afternoon, so I'll have time to get home and get ready."

"Kagome," Sesshomaru said, clearing his throat. She looked up at him, standing much closer to her than InuYasha. "Is there anything I need to know before we leave?"

InuYasha almost laughed. He wished that he had gotten that talk before jumping. "I'm gonna go ahead. This might take a while," he said, and jumped over the edge.

Sesshomaru watched curiously as he saw a gentle blue hue erupt from the mouth of the well. He leaned over to inspect the bottom, making sure that InuYasha really was gone. "Well," Kagome started, getting his attention again. "It's loud. VERY loud. I mean, InuYasha hates it and he's only a half demon. I don't know how you'll take it."

A soft smile fluttered across his lips. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

She couldn't help herself from returning his smile. "Okay. But it smells really bad, too. Millions of people in one area kind of does that." She laughed. "There are lots of inventions that you probably can't even imagine and the buildings go up for hundreds of feet. Everything is really bright, because they don't use fire. It's called electricity."

She continued on for a little bit, trying to prepare him as much as possible for the world he was going to see. He listened intently, wanting to take in everything. He enjoyed her description of her world. He knew it couldn't be easy describing something that seemed so normal to her. "Just remember, whatever you see or whatever happens, if I don't look worried, then it's normal."

He nodded his head once she was done, smiling. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, leaning down and brushing his lips against hers. "I get to meet your family now, do I not?"

Her eyes widened at the mention of her family. "Oh... yes, I suppose you do."

"Good. I can't wait."

He took her hand and stepped up to the edge of the well. He helped her onto the lip before stepping up himself. Kagome stared down into the darkness and swallowed gently, knowing that her family knew nothing about Sesshomaru or what had happened. _'Please let everything be okay.'_

They jumped.

**AN:**

**Happy Valentine's Day:)**


	8. Chapter 7

**AN: **Heeeee. It would appear I've caught the writer's bug again. Hopefully it keeps up:D

**What Now?**

**kagomes-wanna-be**

**Chapter Seven:  
Irritable**

Kagome felt like she was chewing her lip off. They had been standing there for almost a minute, unmoving, not saying anything. The furthest they had managed to make it was just outside of the well house. His senses were being overwhelmed, she knew it. She could tell by the way he was fighting to keep his nose from scrunching up and the way his ears twitched up and down.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome started, gently resting her hand on his arm. "Are you alright?"

Slowly, his eyes shifted down to her. "There's a stench in the air," he told her, his voice strained by disgust. "But it's not from any one place. It's... everywhere. It's _in_ the air."

She couldn't imagine what he was going through. All his life he'd been exposed to the clean, fresh air of the Feudal Era, and now he was being forced to succumb to this. His lungs were burning and his mouth was filling with the taste of the stench.

"It's called pollution," Kagome told him quietly. "It can be found almost everywhere on Earth. There are some places lucky enough to survive without it."

"I see." His voice was sad. Is this what had become of his once beautiful world?

Kagome heard the tone in his voice and swallowed. "I'm sorry," she told him before she could stop herself. "I know it's a little overwhelming. We can go back if you want. We don't have to stay here." She meant it. The could go back. Yes, she had that test she needed to take, but she cared more about her mate and him being comfortable. He didn't like it here, and it made her want to run away from this place and never come back.

His gaze turned back to her from the distance and he smiled gently. "Don't be ridiculous. This... test that you are to take later is obviously important to you. I'll stay here with you as long as you need."

He was so understanding that she couldn't help but smile. "Alright, if you're sure."

"Of course." He leaned down and swept his lips across hers and she felt instantly at ease. The twisting in gut ceased and a smile spread over her lips. She didn't understand how he could have such control over her, but she didn't feel like fighting it.

"Oi! Are you two coming in or what?"

Kagome sighed and pulled back from her mate. "We'll be in in just a second," she called back across the courtyard.

"Well hurry up. Your mom is making lunch!" he responded, turning and disappearing back into the kitchen.

Kagome nearly groaned. _'How am I going to explain this to everyone?' _"Come on," she said, taking his and in hers and walking towards the entrance to the house.

--

"What are you doing back so suddenly, dear?" Mrs. Higurashi asked as she stirred the stew.

InuYasha sat on the countertop nearby, his ears twitching back and forth as he took deep breaths of the air, the smell of the stew wafting under his nose. "Kagome has another test to take this afternoon."

"Oh, right," she said, looking up at the calendar they had hanging in the kitchen. "That was today, I nearly forgot."

"Is it almost ready?" he asked, ignoring her statement. His feet tapped against the counter impatiently.

Mrs. Higurashi laughed, accustomed to his behavior after so long. "Yes dear, almost."

She turned off the heat under the stew and added a little spice. InuYasha could feel his mouth watering as the stew stopped bubbling. He could almost taste it.

Mrs. Higurashi looked up as she heard muttering from outside. "Who's Kagome with?" she asked. Her brow furrowed a she leaned closer to the window, only for Kagome and her friend to move out of sight.

InuYasha's face blanked. "Oh, uh..." he stumbled over his words. How was he supposed to explain this? "It's a friend of ours."

__

'Of ours?'

he asked himself, stopping. _'Why did I say that? He's not my friend.'_

"Really?" she asked excitedly. Her face lit up. "Oh! It'll be wonderful to meet another of you!" she exclaimed, pulling off her apron. "Is it that monk she speaks of? Oh, what was his name? Ah, yes! Miroku! Or that dear girl Sango? Or that adorable Shippo she's always talking of!"

InuYasha couldn't get her to stop. The back door opened and she spun to face the new guest, only to stop in her tracks. Her eyes gazed level at a heavily plated chest. Slowly they rose, taking in the white and red silk of his kimono, the spikes of his shoulder guard, the wispy ends of this white hair, and finally his maroon and blue marked face and golden eyes.

"... Oh my." She swallowed at his intense gaze. "I don't believe I've heard about you before."

"Mother, this is Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru, this is my mother." Kagome introduced the two without breathing. Sesshomaru looked down at her, frowning gently as he introduced her using only his name. Why didn't she introduce him as her mate?

InuYasha stayed in his place on the counter, watching avidly to see how the whole thing played out.

Sesshomaru gave the small woman in front of him a quiet smile and bowed deeply. "This Sesshomaru is very pleased to finally meet you ma'am," he told her.

She relaxed gently upon seeing his smile, though she did catch the steely tone in his voice. It didn't hinder her, however. "Please, call me Mrs. Higurashi," she told him as she bowed herself.

Instantly, Sesshomaru relaxed in Mrs. Higurashi's presence. She was a nice woman, and he realized that only a woman as nice as this could truly be Kagome's mother.

As Mrs. Higurashi bowed, she took in the rest of his appearance. He wore boots under his kimono, and there wasn't just one sword at his side, but two. This man was a warrior - perhaps a Shogun of long ago. It wasn't the sword, the boots, of the kimono that truly caught her attention, however. It was her daughter's hand tightly clasping his own.

She stood upright again, smiling broadly at the two. "So do you have time for lunch before heading to school, Kagome?"

"Um... Yes, I suppose. I mean, I'm already late," she said with a shrug. "I'll show Sesshomaru to the table."

"Oh, dear, InuYasha can do that. Help me with the food, won't you?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, taking out a few bowls.

Kagome eyed her mother skeptically. She was up to something. "Alright," she said hesitantly, letting go of Sesshomaru's hand and moving next to her mother.

"Come on," InuYasha said, walking out of the room. Sesshomaru turned to follow him, casting a glance over his shoulder once more before leaving the room.

Kagome felt like her palms were sweating. _'Crap, what does she want?' _she asked, looking towards her mom. _'What am I supposed to tell her?'_

"Sesshomaru seems like a very respectable young man," Mrs. Higurashi said as she poured stew into the separate bowls.

"Yes, he is," Kagome agreed, nodding her head. "He's actually a Lord back in the Feudal Era."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes widening gently. "He must be very powerful then."

"Yes."

"And very handsome on top of that."

Kagome blushed deeply, biting her lip and nodding her head. "Well I certainly think so."

Her mother smiled brightly and turned to Kagome. "So there is something between the two of you!" she exclaimed, only for Kagome to shush her, telling her to quiet down. "How long?"

"I don't know," Kagome said. It was true. She wasn't sure how long ago constituted as being together. "A few weeks."

"Oh, this is so exciting!" she said. She had completely forgotten the stew by now. "Are you two serious?"

Kagome laughed gently, shaking her head. "Everything in the Feudal Era is serious," she told her mom vaguely. What else could she say? There was no way she could let her know everything that had happened between them in such a little time. That sort of thing was frowned heavily upon in this time. "Come on, we should feed the boys before they get restless."

They picked up the bowls and walked into the dining room. "Here you are," Mrs. Higurashi said as she placed InuYasha's bowl in front of him.

Sitting down, she looked up at the two men on the other side of the table, stopping suddenly. "Oh!" she exclaimed, blinking between the two. "How did I not notice it before? You two look so alike!"

"We're brothers," InuYasha said as he spooned stew into his mouth, letting out a strangled noise as it burned his mouth.

His companions ignored his antics as Mrs. Higurashi asked, "So you're a half-demon as well?"

"No." He shook his head. "I am a full demon. We are actually half brothers."

For a second, Kagome felt nervousness flutter through her stomach. She was worried how her mother would handle the fact that he was a full demon. Even if she accepted InuYasha, full demons were a different story. Her mother didn't seem phased, however, and merely smiled. "I don't think I've met a full demon before."

"It's a pleasure to be the first," he told her, bowing his head gently before beginning to eat his stew.

The rest of lunch went smoothly. Small comments were made here and there, but for the most part it was silent as everyone ate their stew. Kagome finally looked at the clock on the wall, finishing her drink. "I should get changed into a clean uniform before I change. Mom, will you write me a note so I can get into class?"

"Of course," Mrs. Higurashi said. She stood to take the bowls, everyone thanking her for the meal.

Sesshomaru stood as she left the room, being as respectful as possible. InuYasha stayed where he was, however, and Sesshomaru glanced down at him with a darkened look. "What?"

"Men should stand for ladies when they leave the room," he told his brother briskly, sitting back down, waiting for Kagome to return from upstairs.

InuYasha scoffed gently. "It isn't like that in this time, Sesshomaru."

"Yes, but that is how it is in our time," Sesshomaru nearly growled. "You would do yourself well to represent your origins with pride."

InuYasha stared at his brother unbelievingly. He'd been visiting this time for years, and on his first time here, Sesshomaru felt like he had the right to tell him how to act. There was a million things InuYasha wanted to yell at his brother, but he restrained himself. He 'keh'd and stood up, ignoring the twitching in his fingers as he walked to the coat rack and picked up his baseball hat, placing it on his head.

"What are you doing?" Sesshomaru asked, confused as his brother hid his ears.

"Covering my ears," he told him the obvious. "Kagome always thinks that people will freak out when they see my ears, so she makes me cover them."

"When are people going to see you?"

"When I walk Kagome to school."

Suddenly, Sesshomaru stood up. "And you assume that you will be walking Kagome to go take her test?"

InuYasha nodded his head. "Yes," he said curtly. "I always walk Kagome to school. I always have."

"Kagome has not always had a mate," Sesshomaru said, his voice strict. "As said mate, it is my duty to escort her where she needs to go."

InuYasha just stared at him incredulously. _'He can't be serious.' _But as they stood there, neither moving, he realized he was. Rage flushed through his entire system, that itch had returned full force and it was making him only more irritable. He was going to overreact again, but he didn't care. "Oh, that's right, I forgot, Kagome isn't allowed to do ANYTHING anymore without you," he snarled out. "God forbid that anyone else even got to be SEEN with her. What would happen then? I can understand why you'd be worried, though. Kagome is EXACTLY the kind of girl to just run off with some guy when she's already mated!" He was practically yelling, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Sesshomaru could only stare at him, though he seemed unaffected by his only made InuYasha angrier as he tossed the hat onto the table. "Whatever. You take her, I'm just gonna go back to 'our time.'"

InuYasha walked past Sesshomaru towards the backdoor. Sesshomaru stared at the wall across the room, still unmoving. At first he thought that InuYasha was just overreacting, as he always did, but slowly the reality began to seep into his mind and he realized exactly what was going on. "InuYasha," he said finally with a low breath, catching his brother off guard.

"What?" InuYasha snapped as Sesshomaru turned to face him.

"You can walk Kagome to her test."

InuYasha turned to stare at him, surprised. He blinked slowly, questioning him silently, but eventually nodded his head. "O-Okay," he said. He walked back over and picked up his hat.

There was a silence for a minute before Kagome came downstairs in a new uniform, her backpack full of books. She looked between the two of them, her lips pressing together. "Is everything okay?" she asked, hoping that they weren't about to kill each other again.

"Fine. You ready to go?" InuYasha asked briskly.

She nodded her head, walking over and kissing Sesshomaru. "Are you going to be okay here for a couple of hours?" she asked, staring up into his eyes.

He smiled softly, nodding his head, gazing back down into your own. "Of course. It will be a pleasure to spend more time with your mother," he said, kissing her once more.

"Okay," she said as she returned the kiss. They pulled away and she walked towards the front door, where InuYasha was waiting. She turned back and smiled at him, waving goodbye before they walked out.

Sesshomaru watched them go silently, nodding his head in return to her wave. He finally let his hands unclench. It took a lot for him to let her just leave with InuYasha, but it was the best thing to do. He shook his head and sat back down. No, it was definitely not the time to get InuYasha angry.

**AN: **Yaaay! Another chapter! Hopefully it'll keep up:D Hmmm... I wonder what's up with InuYasha??? You'll have to keep reading to find out! Hope to see you soon!

kagomes-wanna-be

Go, be merry, and review.


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: **It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I'm so sorry that I've taken forever in updating. School has gotten completely in the way of EVERYTHING. So, in celebration of school being out for summer, here's my lovely update:D

**What Now?**

**kagomes-wanna-be**

**Chapter Eight:  
Mating Season  
Part 1**

Kagome walked into the dining room with InuYasha, greeted to the sight of Sesshomaru and Mrs. Higurashi sharing a laugh across the table. Sesshomaru looked up first, holding his hand out to them. "Kagome, come join us."

She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two of them getting along. Setting her bag down against the door frame, she walked towards them, taking his hand in hers. "What are you two doing?" she asked.

He gently wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his side. "Your mother is sharing photographs with me."

"What?" Kagome blanched, her eyes widening. "Which photographs?"

"All of them. Sesshomaru's interest has yet to fade," Mrs. Higurashi commented with a laugh.

"It's quite intriguing," he agreed, running his fingers delicately along the edge of one. "I've never seen anything like it."

"They're just pictures," InuYasha scoffed, taking the seat at the end of the table, away from everyone.

"They really are not," Sesshomaru rebutted. "It's a complete different art form. Everything is so vivid."

"Oh no," Kagome gasped as she picked up a light pink album. "Mother, you didn't show him my baby pictures, did you?"

"Of course I did, dear. As soon as I started showing him pictures he asked to see some of you, so I brought out every album with you in it that I could," she explained with a proud smile.

Kagome stared down at the book for a long moment before looking down at Sesshomaru. "You… wanted to see these?"

"Yes." He nodded his head before leaning up and whispering in her ear, "I pray our pups are as beautiful as you were."

Kagome blushed a deeper red than she had ever thought possible. She looked down at Sesshomaru with a smile as he settled back down in his seat, softly running her fingers through his hair. They stayed like that for a long moment before Kagome remembered where they were, looking up at the other two occupants in the room. She cleared her throat, pulling from Sesshomaru's embrace to sit down in the chair next to him. "So is photography the only thing you two have discussed?"

"Oh no," Mrs. Higurashi started as though the episode between the two had never happened. "Sesshomaru has been quite talkative the whole day."

"It got kind of annoying," InuYasha muttered, having returned to the house after walking Kagome to school.

"If I remember correctly, InuYasha, you were very talkative during your first trips here as well." Mrs. Higurashi laughed at the flustered look on his face. "You wanted to know everything that you could about everything that you saw. You nearly exploded the microwave trying to cook a fork."

InuYasha growled in annoyance as he turned his face away from the others, resting his cheek in his hand. "I haven't heard that story before. I thought you hated this era, InuYasha," Kagome prodded.

"'Keh," he mumbled as he stood and walked out of the room into the kitchen.

"Let us put these back in their books before they receive any damage," Sesshomaru offered, beginning to arrange photos back in their albums.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled brightly and looked at Kagome, giving her a wink. "You're so thoughtful, Sesshomaru."

He nodded his head in response, setting an album aside. Kagome couldn't help but notice how carefully he held the photos, trying to keep his claws turned as far from them as possible.

"I think we should be heading back," Kagome said as they finished with the last of the albums.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, a sad look coming to her face. "You've barely just gotten here, and you haven't even said hello to your grandfather or Sota."

"I know, but if I stay any longer then we'll have to stay for the night. Plus, I'd rather not have grandpa trying to exorcise Sesshomaru."

"Your grandfather is a priest?" Sesshomaru asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If you want to call him that," she mumbled under her voice.

"If you're sure dear, than let me help you pack," Mrs. Higurashi offered.

Sesshomaru stood as the two women walked to the kitchen with Kagome's back as InuYasha walked back into the dining room. "So we're heading back?" he asked.

"It would seem as so," Sesshomaru said, standing and pushing his chair in.

"I think I'm going to head back now then," InuYasha said, turning to go say goodbye.

"InuYasha," Sesshomaru called, stopping him.

He turned around to look at his brother. "Yeah?"

Sesshomaru froze. His face gave nothing away, but he could only stand there. He didn't know what he wanted to say, he hardly knew why he had stopped InuYasha. In all his hundreds of years, he had never dealt with anything like this. For the first time in a long time, he felt awkward.

Finally, he came up with the words he wanted. "Be careful."

InuYasha looked at him strangely. He wasn't sure how to take what the man had said. It wasn't a warning, or a threat. It sounded like… advice.

'_What the hell does he have to give me advice about?'_

Without anything to say, InuYasha just nodded his head and left.

Sesshomaru let out a breath as he stared down at the albums in front of him. He stayed like that until Kagome walked back into the room, her pack full with new food. "Ready to go?"

He nodded his head and took her outstretched hand. They walked back into the kitchen together, where Mrs. Higurashi was waiting for them.

"Thank you once again for allowing me to view your photo collection and occupy your time today. It was a pleasure," he said, bowing to her.

"The pleasure was all mine. I was absolutely delighted by your company," she responded, returning the bow.

Kagome hugged her mother tightly, telling her to say hello to everyone for her before they headed back outside towards the well. "Did you really like it today?" Kagome asked him once her mother had closed the back door.

"Greatly," he told her, nodding his head.

She smiled happily and squeezed his hand. It was only one step, but she felt much more at ease now that he had met her mother and knew that they liked each other. After all the nightmares and worrying of what could happen, everything seemed to be going perfectly.

They crossed back through the well together and headed to the village. They arrived at Kaede's house to find everyone sitting out on the porch, enjoying the relaxing day. The other's greeted them warmly as the stepped up to the porch.

Kaede stepped through the mat covering her door and stopped as she saw Sesshomaru. "So, it is true then?"

The old woman's eyes were on Kagome. She cleared her throat. "Yes, Kaede, it's true. Sesshomaru and I have been mated."

"And this is what you want?" Kaede asked. Her eyes bore into the young girl.

Sesshomaru suppressed a growl. He didn't understand why everyone assumed he was such a bad mate. He was a lord; a demon lord at that. They were eternally faithful and obedient to their mates, whether they were men or women. Sesshomaru could never imagine doing anything to ever test the relationship be would now be in forever.

Kagome stood straighter at Kaede's question. She was getting annoyed with the question as well. "Yes. With all of my heart and every fiber of my being," she stated, hoping to put it to rest once and for all.

Kagome was surprised as Kaede smiled sincerely. That wasn't the reaction she had expected. "Then I give you both my blessings for all your years."

She turned and walked back into her hut, leaving everyone baffled.

They just sat there for a while before Miroku eventually broke the silence. "Now that you three have arrived back, what shall we do?"

Everyone quickly returned back to normal as InuYasha stated, "We need to stop wasting time and get back out there."

"But InuYasha," Sango began, sighing, "we haven't heard any news of Naraku or shards in over a week. I think we need to take a little break and let people begin talking before we head out again."

"Yeah! Let's do that!" Shippo exclaimed, happy for any reason to not go hunting again.

The group began to argue, as always, over what to do. Miroku, Sango and Shippo were all on the side of resting, while InuYasha, surprisingly enough, was not.

"We can't take a break!"

"Yes we can!"

"It'll do us some good to rest."

"You're working us like slaves!"

"Shut the hell up, Shippo!"

"If I may."

The bickering stopped as all eyes turned to glance up at Sesshomaru,

"I would like to suggest that we go back to my manor," he told them.

"What good would that do us?" InuYasha muttered.

His comrades shot him a look before turning their attention back to Sesshomaru "Are you sure you'd want us all in your manor, Sesshomaru?" Sango asked.

"Of course," he assured them. "The manor is open to all of you whenever you need a place to stay during your travels. I also believe it is time for Kagome to become acquainted with her new home."

Kagome stopped breathing.

'_Home?' _she questioned silently, staring up at Sesshomaru. _'My new home?'_

The more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right. She was mated, she was one with someone. His home was now her own, and would be forever.

There was a soft flutter of excitement deep in her stomach. She would live with Sesshomaru. They would always be together. There was nothing stopping this now.

"Good, then let us leave tomorrow at first light," Miroku said.

Kagome snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Miroku speak. She had apparently missed part of the conversation.

"Good," Sesshomaru agreed, nodding his head.

InuYasha simply 'Keh'd as Shippo and Kirara ran off to play.

Kagome's pulse raced. Tomorrow, at first light, she would be going home.

--

Kagome stood waist deep in the warm waters. The sun was just starting to set behind the tree line, casting an orange glow across the forest floor. The water reflected the color, swirling it into the deep blue of its waters.

Her eyes were closed as she breathed deeply through the steam. These waters always felt like they could fix anything, clear any thought. They were always so relaxing.

A pair of arms slipped around her waist and she gasped. Her eyes shot open and she sucked in a breath to scream.

"Shhhhh. There is no need to worry, mate," a soft, silky voice whispered in her ear.

She instantly relaxed as a sigh dragged from her lips. "Don't scare me like that."

Sesshomaru chuckled against her ear. "Forgive me if I frightened you. It was not my intention."

"Mmmm. I'm sure," she muttered, completely lax in his arms.

They stood like that for a while, just enjoying the soothing water and each other's company. Sesshomaru pressed his nose gently into the crook of her neck, his lips brushing her skin.

Kagome's heart began pounding. This scene was too familiar.

She instantly felt the heat build in her stomach, the sound of blood rushing in her ears. "Sesshomaru…" she whispered quietly as she turned in his arms, pressing her lips to his.

He growled happily as he kept his hold at her waist, returning her kiss. "Kagome," he whispered back against her lips.

She was losing herself in him; his lips, his voice, his body. All she wanted was him, and finally she was going to get it. 'Maybe it's the privacy that he likes," she thought through the haze. 'He never did like showing emotion in front of people. He's probably the same with being intimate.'

A moan slipped from her mouth as her arms wrapped around his neck, bringing him in even tighter. This was heaven.

"Are you almost finished bathing?"

She returned to Earth.

Pulling back from his lips, she stared up at him, unblinking. "What?"

"I asked if you were almost finished with your bathing," he repeated. "We can return to the village together."

She couldn't believe what he had said. Her mouth gaped open and floundered closed, unable to think of what to say.

Sesshomaru stared at her worriedly, his brow pulling together. "Is everything alright?"

His voice snapped her back to reality once more. "Yeah, fine," she spat out, pulling back from his hold and trudging towards the edge of the pool.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru stopped her, placing his hand on her arm. "What is the matter?"

She couldn't hold it back. She spun to face him. "Why don't you want to sleep with me?"

Sesshomaru was actually speechless. He didn't know how to respond to that.

"I mean, we did it once before we mated. And then we did mate, which in my mind seems to make it more okay for us to want to be together, yet you seem completely uninterested. Did I do something wrong?" she asked, staring up at him. "Is it me? Are you just not attracted to me now that you have me?"

As she spoke, a small smile spread over Sesshomaru's lips. "My mate," he whispered once she was finished, placing his hand on her cheek. "That is not it at all."

She pressed her lips together, but didn't pull from his hand. "Then what is it?"

"Our first time was simply for us to be with each other, to experience each other. Our second time, we mated. There were reasons for our couplings before," he explained. "Right now, there is no reason. Mating season begins in only a little while, though."

Kagome stared at him like he had grown another head. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"I don't believe I understand," he said. Hadn't he just explained everything?

Kagome couldn't help but laugh bitterly at him. "Sesshomaru," she started, "I don't know how to say this except… bluntly."

She cleared her throat, trying to keep the red tint off her cheeks. This wasn't her strongest topic for talking.

"I guess that demons have… instincts? Schedules? I'm not sure what to call it." She shook her head. "But humans don't. We don't have sex just because of certain attempts. I mean, yes, there are anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, things like that, but that isn't the only time that we like to do it. We have sex just… to have sex."

Sesshomaru could only stare at her.

"Just forget it," she told him, rolling her eyes as she turned and continued out of the spring.

"Wait," Sesshomaru tried to stop her.

She ignored him. "See you in mating season." She muttered the words, but she knew he could hear them.

Sesshomaru watched as she climbed out of the water and wrapped a towel around herself. She picked up a bag and walked into the tree line, leaving his view to change. He couldn't believe this. He didn't know whether to be angry or worried. She had just questioned his entire nature.

But did he have the right to deny hers?

**AN: **I hope you guys liked it:D Tell me what you think!

Go, be merry, and review:)

kagomes-wanna-be


	10. Chapter 9

**AN: **Hello.

**What Now?**

**kagomes-wanna-be**

**Chapter Nine:  
Together Again**

Three days. It had been three days since she stormed away from him at the springs, and Sesshomaru was more frustrated with every passing minute. Kagome had been all but ignoring him. She greeted him in the morning, kissed him goodnight, walked with him at her side as they slowly travelled west. They were never alone, however. She never left the group, or when she did, it was with that pesky Sango.

He had even gone so far as to ask her to go on a walk with him the previous night, and she had rejected his offer. She flat out refused to go with him. His demon had roared, but he calmed enough to not throw her over his shoulder and drag her out to talk about this whether she wanted to or not.

Not that it would have helped. Then he merely would have had to deal with InuYasha running in and screaming his head off about hurting Kagome and forcing her to do things she didn't want to do. His half-brother had been getting more restless each day. He even received many comments and looks from his companions, who also noticed he was more agitated than normal. If it escalated, Sesshomaru knew he would have to step in. He'd have to converse in private with his brother, which alone would have taken a miracle. Sesshomaru couldn't stand being ignored by his mate and his brother.

So, for now, he bathed. He sank his body into the cool water up to his eyes, holding his breath and staring out at the surrounding woods. Never, in all his life, had he felt so conflicted. Normally when he had a dilemma that proved to be this troublesome, he killed it.

Seeing as how the problems were his mate and his half-brother, who also happened to be his mate's friend, that wasn't an option. So, he continued to bathe.

* * *

Kagome sighed and stared up at the billowing stacks of steam above her head. She leaned back against the rocks once more, letting the soft ripples of water lap against her.

"Kagome, just tell me what's wrong," Sango said, swimming closer to her.

Looking at her friend, the miko sighed once more. Sango had been pestering her the last three days straight, practically ever since she'd returned from that fateful bath. "I… It's just…"

Sango watched expectantly as her friend stumbled over her words. Kagome was glad they were in a hot spring, or her face would have grown bright red. How could she ever talk about something like this? Then, as she looked into the wide, supportive eyes of her best friend, she knew this is exactly what she needed.

However, that didn't make the statement of her troubles any easier, and she ended up muttering it to the water beneath her chin.

"I can't hear you."

"I said-" She cut herself off, clearing her throat to return her voice to a normal level as she had managed to go from whispering to nearly screaming. "I said… Sesshomaru doesn't want to have sex with me."

Sango's eyebrows shot up so fast, Kagome was surprised they had stayed on her face at all.

"Oh, I…" The demon slayer cleared her throat, floating back a bit in the water. "I never would have expected that. You've only been mated a week, haven't you? Miroku and I have been engaged for months, and I can hardly keep him off of me."

Kagome fixed her with a flat glare and she swallowed. "I'm sorry, that wasn't supposed to come out that way. Why do you think he doesn't want to?"

"I don't know," the younger girl announced. "It was great! At least, I thought it was great. Maybe it wasn't? Maybe I'm not that good." She sighed again, running a hand down her face. "No, now I'm getting ahead of myself. He said it had something to do with… mating season? He said that there wasn't any reason for us to be… doing it, at the moment. Does that even make sense? What the hell does it matter that it isn't mating season? We're already mates! Shouldn't it always be mating season for us!"

Sango watched her friend patiently, attempting not to laugh at her friend's statement. This was not a situation to find humorous. It really was bothering her friend, and needed to be discussed at length. "Kagome, he didn't speak to you about any of this before you two mated?"

The miko shook her head, sliding further into the water so it was covered her mouth.

"Well, he certainly should have spoken to you about it, but I'm sure he just didn't realize that you didn't know. I'm afraid you may come into a lot of situations like this since neither of you is sure what the other doesn't know they don't know." They stared at each other for a moment before Sango shook her head, waving a hand. "I'm sorry, that didn't make much sense. You just have a lot to learn from each other yet. You have to be patient. You have to talk to him about these things, and… hope that he learns from it."

Kagome stared at Sango for a long time. The other girl wasn't sure if the miko wanted to scream at her, hit her, or what. But, eventually, the tensed look on her face lessened and she let out a sigh for the umpteenth time that night. Tilting her head back, she muttered, "Yeah, you're right."

"I'm sorry it has to be so difficult."

"Me too," Kagome agreed. "But… it is what it is, I suppose. I love him, and I'm going to be with him forever now, and this is just something we have to get through. All couples have rough patches; this is just one of ours. I should go talk to him."

She tried to scramble out of the water so fast, Sango felt she sustained whiplash. "A-Are you sure? You don't think you need to sit on it a little longer?"

Kagome looked at her with a raised eyebrow, wrapping a towel around her body. "No. Why?"

"Just curious." Sango shrugged. "I don't want you rushing into anything."

The younger girl laughed heartily, grabbing her things and slipping off to change. "I think it's a little too late for that!"

* * *

Sesshomaru dried himself off and tied his hakama about his waist. He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, stretching his muscles in the warm, late afternoon sun. His ears twitched and he turned his head as he heard rustling in the bushes away from the bank. Whispered voices followed, and piqued his interest.

The smell was distinctly human. Not feeling threatened, he abandoned his things at the edge of the river bank and stalked silently into the forest.

The more time that passed, the quieter the voices became. As he got closer, he noticed new noises. Heavy breathing, whispers, and… grunting?

Sesshomaru jumped into the canopy and moved through the trees. He paused as the trees opened up to a small clearing, buried by bushes. A man and a woman were in the clearing, and they were rutting.

Sure, he had seen and heard humans having sex before, but he had never paid it much attention. He had no reason to care what type of carnal activities they participated in. However, now that he was participating in those carnal activities with a human himself, he found the scene a little more interesting.

He didn't care to watch them, so he turned his head to give them as much privacy as possible. He sniffed the air and his brow creased with the little amount of confusion he'd let himself display. The female wasn't in heat, and she certainly wasn't being forced based off of the noises of pleasure she was making. He glanced at the pile of clothing they had created. It was made up of everyday clothing, no special robes that signified a marriage ritual or anything of the sort. It wasn't mating season yet, though he wasn't sure if humans had a separate mating season. Thinking back on what Kagome had said to him, it seemed that they didn't have a mating season at all. So…

Humans had sex whenever they wanted.

It was an interesting concept. Why hadn't he realized this sooner? He'd stumbled upon rutting couples plenty of times during his years travelling, but he'd never paid attention to the fact that it was outside of mating season.

Leaving the couple to their business, he turned and jumped back to the forest floor, deciding to stroll back to the riverbank so he would have time to think. His face was stoic as ever, but his eyes swirled with his thoughts.

He had honestly never thought about mating very often. It had been great – No, it had been better than great. It had been… enthralling. Amazing. Fantastic. He was starting to walk faster without even realizing it.

He liked mating, he decided. He hadn't given it much thought since it wasn't mating season, but now that he could think about it…

Looking down, he realized he was at the riverbank now. His clothing, armor and swords lay on the log in front of him. He stared down at them, and for the first time recognized the red haze surrounding the edge of his vision. His heart beat faster in his chest. His demon was itching to come out, and he knew exactly why.

His bitch wanted him, and how could he deny her?

* * *

Kagome walked through the forest with her pack slung over her one shoulder. She hoped that Sesshomaru had returned from his bath at the river so she could pull him aside to apologize. Part of her knew there was going to be more damage control needed than that, but told herself that it could wait for when they were in the privacy of their home.

Her chest swelled with warmth as she thought about her new home. She was so busy being angry, she had forgotten to be excited. She didn't want to imagine it too much, but she knew it would be beautiful. It would probably be large, to suit a Lord, and that had her the most excited. Plus, on top of all of that, she got to finally meet Rin in a proper manner.

A bush rustled to her left, and Kagome had been so lost in thought it made her jump a literal foot away from it. She reached back and grabbed her bow and an arrow from the quiver on her back. For a long time she just stared at the spot the sound had come from, but nothing appeared. Keeping her bow in hand, she continued along her way, paying more attention to the forest surrounding her.

A bush rustled behind her and she spun, aiming her arrow at the offending foliage, but again nothing was there. Now feeling paranoid and frightened, Kagome turned on her heel and headed towards camp as quickly as she could manage. The rustling followed her, no matter how fast she ran.

A shadow passed over her suddenly and she skidded to a halt as a figure appeared in front of her. Notching her arrow, she raised it and opened her mouth to issue a word of warning, before freezing.

"Sesshomaru?"

And it was. Her mate stood in front of her in the middle of the forest. He had been following her this entire time, scaring her to death.

"What are you-" and then thought went away.

Not only was he in front of her, but he was in front of her and he was half-naked. He only had his hakama on, leaving the upper half of his body exposed to her view. Her eyes ran from the tip of his head to the top of his pants. She traced every line of the muscles in his torso, the pale color of his skin, the way his arm muscles bulged and flexed beneath his skin. As her eyes traveled back up, she landed on his eyes, and noticed the red that was seeping into them.

Stepping forward, she tried to start talking, but was cut off by a growl deep in his chest. She stepped back suddenly, only for him to close the distance between them. He stared down at her in a way that made the hair on the back of her neck tingle. Heat pooled in her stomach. He was looking at her like she was meat, and she liked it.

She attempted to speak again, but he stopped her by crashing his lips onto hers. This kiss was almost painful, yet she couldn't find the urge to complain. Sesshomaru pushed the bow and arrow out of her hand and she dropped the bag from her shoulders. His tongue pressed between her lips and she accommodated it happily, arms wrapped tight around his neck.

Sesshomaru nearly lost it when his mate moaned into his mouth. His claws were at her shirt, tearing it open from the buttons in the front. She gasped, and he took the moment of her surprise to reach down and grab her around the waist, lifting her up and moving her towards the nearest tree.

When she was set down again, Kagome wasted no time in getting his hakama untied and let it fall from his legs before pushing her skirt and panties off in one swoop. She wasn't thinking, it hardly occurred to her that it was the middle of the day, but she didn't care. Her mate wanted her, and she wanted him, and they wanted it right now.

Sesshomaru watched hungrily as she derobed both of their lower halves, his chest heaving with shallow breaths. He reached behind her thighs and lifted her. With a cry, her legs wrapped around him and he thrust into her.

**AN: **Happy New Year :)

Go, be merry, and review.

kagomes-wanna-be


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